CameraWatch welcomes ICO’s CCTV proposals

Story link: CameraWatch welcomes ICO’s CCTV proposals by Jan Harris

CameraWatch, which advises organisations on complying with CCTV regulations, has welcomed the Information Commissioner’s Office’s (ICO) plan to redraft the CCTV code of practice.

CameraWatch believes the proposals are a welcome call for businesses to re-think whether CCTV needs to be deployed at each installation, and to make sure that is only being used for the purpose for which it was originally installed.

CameraWatch warns that UK businesses could breach the Data Protection Act (DPA) by installing and operating CCTV systems incorrectly - a widespread problem according to CameraWatch’s own research which found that 90 per cent of CCTV installations do not comply with the requirements of the Act.

Unless CCTV is deployed correctly, monitored and has the necessary backup, CameraWatch believes that CCTV is counter-productive and brings the industry into ill-repute.

The organisation welcomes the ICO’s call for the introduction of impact assessments to ensure that there is a real need for surveillance technology before it is installed, and to determine its effect on individuals.

CameraWatch particularly welcomes the proposal that monitoring staff in the workplace should be proportionate and not intrusive.

CameraWatch will look at the ICO’s proposals in detail and raise issues with industry and users’ representative members of the CameraWatch Forum on 18 September in Edinburgh, before submitting a full response to the ICO.