UK Issues New Surveillance Camera Privacy Guidelines

The Surveillance Camera Commissioner (SCC) has joined forces with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) to release updated privacy guidelines for the use of surveillance cameras in the United Kingdom. The guidelines specifically concern the data protection impact assessments (DPIAs) that organizations are expected to perform when operating a surveillance camera in a public place.

The SCC and the ICO advise organizations to carry out a DPIA whenever they install a new surveillance system, or add new cameras to an existing security network. They also recommend DPIAs when a system is upgraded, or when a camera is removed or moved to a new position. Finally, organizations should conduct a DPIA when deploying a system with biometric capabilities, including facial recognition.

The new DPIA templates are intended to protect the privacy and personal data of British civilians. They were written to help organizations comply with Europe’s GDPR regulations, as well as Britain’s 2018 Data Protection Act and 2012 Protection of Freedoms Act.

“Ensuring that surveillance camera systems protect communities rather than spy on them is essential in building public trust around the use of overt surveillance cameras,” said Surveillance Camera Commissioner Tony Porter. “This joint effort will help ensure that tools are available to help organisations meet legal requirements around privacy and human rights.”

The new guidelines arrive as the debate around state surveillance in the UK has intensified in the wake of several high profile controversies. The London Metropolitan Police recently started using facial recognition at various locations around the city, while Tony Porter requested a meeting with the South Yorkshire Police after it was revealed that they had provided database photos for a facial recognition trial at a shopping center in Sheffield.

The ICO has also been investigating the use of facial recognition at a development in central London. Though it initially denied any involvement, the Metropolitan Police Service was eventually forced to admit that it had supplied images for that project.

Source: UK Authority

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March 20, 2020 – by Eric Weiss