Coles’ partnership with Palantir and the deployment of advanced surveillance technologies—including ceiling cameras, smart exit gates, and wearable devices—demonstrate a reliance on repressive technologies. This not only infringes on customer privacy but also creates an environment of control that aligns with authoritarian surveillance practices.

The secret sauce of Coles’ and Woolworths’ profits: high-tech surveillance and control

By deploying Palantir’s advanced data analytics and surveillance tools, Coles is adopting technology that is closely associated with repressive state mechanisms. This move raises alarms about the potential replication of authoritarian oversight and the erosion of individual privacy in the corporate environment.

Why Coles just hired US defence contractor Palantir

The deployment of extensive surveillance systems in Coles stores, such as body cameras and high-tech CCTV, is indicative of a move towards repressive technology that infringes on personal privacy. Although justified by the need to combat retail crime and protect staff, this measure inadvertently normalizes invasive monitoring and mirrors tactics often employed in authoritarian regimes to control and surveil populations. From a left-leaning perspective critical of increased corporate surveillance, this action undermines civil liberties and contributes negatively to the rise of fascism.

Coles, Woolworths increase hi-tech surveillance tech in supermarkets | The Australian

Coles Group Limited is accused of systemic underpayment of its salaried employees, an issue that undermines labor rights and fair workplace practices. The failure to meet minimum lawful wage entitlements and proper record-keeping practices reflects deep-rooted problems in their labor relations protocols, contributing negatively to their ethical responsibility. Such practices are indicative of corporate behaviors that indirectly support authoritarian economic exploitation by disregarding worker rights.

FWO takes action against Coles Supermarkets

The class action alleging over $150 million in underpayments reveals systemic issues in labor relations and worker compensation within Coles Group. Such practices undermine worker rights and fair labor standards, aligning with a broader pattern of exploitative behavior that can contribute to weakening societal checks against authoritarian labor practices.

Australia: Coles workers launch class action claiming underpayment of over $150 million

The article criticizes Coles' reliance on third-party audits for its suppliers, suggesting that such practices fail to uncover deeper issues of modern slavery and exploitation. Activist demands for a more robust, union-inclusive approach to supplier accreditation indicate serious concerns about the company’s supply chain ethics.

Coles under pressure over potential worker exploitation in supply chains