UK Research Finds Civilians Against Audio Surveillance

Jan 29, 2008 4:37 PM

In Great Britain, where surveillance is prevalent as a crucial part of everyday security, the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) has submitted research revealing that seven out of 10 individuals oppose the idea of CCTV cameras that record their conversations.

A new CCTV code of practice, launched by the ICO, describes the use of sound recording as "highly intrusive" and warns organizations that its use would ever be justified only in highly exceptional circumstances. The code of practice outlines the key issues that organizations and businesses must consider when routinely capturing images of individuals on their CCTV equipment.

According to the research, which surveyed 1,014 UK adults aged 18 and over, more than half of individuals are not aware that the use of CCTV cameras is covered by the Data Protection Act. As well as advising organizations on how to use CCTV responsibly, the code of practice also sets out what they need to do to ensure individuals can use their rights.

Jonathan Bamford, assistant commissioner at the ICO, says, "CCTV enjoys a lot of public support and can have benefits such as helping with the detection of crime. However, it can also be extremely intrusive, monitoring ordinary individuals as they go about their day-to-day business."

"It is essential that organizations and businesses use CCTV responsibly in order to maintain public trust and confidence in the use of CCTV and to prevent its use becoming increasingly viewed as part of the surveillance society," Bamford says.

The code also provides advice on the retention and use of CCTV images and outlines some of the circumstances when it would be appropriate to disclose images captured by CCTV, for example, to law enforcement bodies for the investigation of a crime.

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