| CCTV Code of Practice If you have a very basic CCTV system, its use may not be covered by the Data Protection Act. For example, if you're a small shop keeper with a couple of cameras you can't move remotely and you simply record whatever the system picks up and only give the recorded images to the police as a result of an incident in your shop, then you're not covered by the Act.
However, if your system is more advanced and allows you to zoom in on an individual member of staff whose behaviour is causing you concern, or you use cameras to monitor the movements and activities of your workforce, you'll need to inform the
Information Commissioner’s office. You'll also need to let them know if you give the recorded images to anyone other than the police or a similar law enforcement agency.
The highly sophisticated CCTV systems used in large shops, railway stations, town centres and other places where large numbers of people gather are designed to focus on particular people or identify criminal activity. These types of images are covered by the Act, but if a general scene is recorded without an incident occurring, the pictures are not covered.
In summary, if the image recorded is aimed at learning about a particular person's activities, then it's covered by the act.
More info:
CCTV Code of Practice
(pdf)
CCTV small user Checklist
(pdf)
CCTV Systems and the Data Protection Act (1998), good practice note
(pdf)
|
