CCTV - EDPS video surveillance guidelines

The EDPS has just issued guidelines on video surveillance, aimed at EU institutions but they may be of wider interest.

They comprise:

"a practical set of Guidelines to European institutions and bodies on how to use video-surveillance responsibly with effective safeguards in place. The Guidelines set out the principles for evaluating the need for resorting to video-surveillance and give guidance on how to conduct it in a way which minimises impact on privacy and other fundamental rights."

Issues covered by the guidelines include privacy by design, whether video-surveillance should be used e.g. availability of lawful grounds & use of webcams, selecting, siting and using the system, retention period, restricting access to the recorded footage of images & films, security measures, transfers and disclosures of the data, how to provide info to the public about the surveillance (signs & notices etc), and how to deal with access requests by members of the public regarding surveillance general or recordings specifically, accountability & audits, outsourcing and third parties.

Those wanting model text will be pleased to see there's appendices with example wording for a video surveillance policy and "on the spot" data protection notice.

For those not familiar with the EDPS, the European Data Protection Supervisor is the authority which supervises compliance by EU bodies and institutions with EU data protection requirements, and those bodies now have till 1 January 2011 to bring their existing surveillance systems into line with the new guidelines.

See the EDPS papers of 17 March 2010:

• EDPS Video Surveillance Guidelines
  
• Frequently asked questions on video-surveillance: prior checking by EDPS

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