CCTV on the wall...

[abillybob]

Hello All

 

Hoping you can help? We have a Security hut here and all visitors/employees are expected to go through the Security hut and clock in. We are currently upgrading our CCTV system and adding around 100 cameras. The security guard has 3 21" monitors already where he views around 20 cameras but will now be needing to view 40 cameras.

 

The site manager here wants to install 2 x 50" TV screens on the wall for all to see when walking through the gatehouse and I just want to ensure that we're not breaking any kind of data protection laws doing this? We will apparently have warnings around the site to say that CCTV is in operation.

 

I have the site manager who thinks this will be fine and wants to do it and then I have the security manager who wants the opposite, the security manager has told me that it's completely against the law but I'm not 100% sure?

 

Thanks All

[Boredguy]

I believe it should be sited in such a way that only the security guards could view it.

 

Taken from the ICO code of practice.

Monitors in a hotel reception area show guests in the corridors and lifts, ie out of sight of the reception area. They should be positioned so that they are only visible to staff and members of the public should not be allowed access to the area where staff can view them.

 

Now if it's just them walking in the gate they can see that would be ok

[sparkeh]

Just to expand that out a bit

Viewing of live images on monitors should usually be restricted to the operator and any other authorised person where it is necessary for them to see it, for example to monitor congestion for health and safety purposes, unless the monitor displays a scene which is also in plain sight from the monitor location.

 

Example: Customers in a bank can see themselves on a monitor screen.This is acceptable as they cannot see anything on the screen which they could not see by looking around them. The only customers who can seethe monitor are those who are also shown on it.

Example: Monitors in a hotel reception area show guests in the corridors and lifts, ie out of sight of the reception area. They should be positioned so that they are only visible to staff and members of the public should not be allowed access to the area where staff can view them.

 

If you have set up a live streaming camera available to the public so that they can, for example, assess which route to take on their journey to work based on the level of congestion, you should ensure that it is appropriately zoomed out so that individuals cannot be identified. If individuals can be identified then this will need to be justified and shown to be necessary and proportionate.

 

Recorded images should also be viewed in a restricted area, such as a designated secure office. The monitoring or viewing of images from areas where an individual would have an expectation of privacy should be restricted to authorised personnel.

 

Where images are in an area of particular sensitivity, such as a changing room, it may be more appropriate to only view recorded images after an incident has occurred.

 Are your monitors correctly sited taking into account the images that are displayed?

 Is your monitor viewing area appropriate and secure?

 Where necessary, is access limited to authorised people?

 

Seems pretty clear to me that putting up monitors with plain view of live streams is against the CCTV code of practice.

Edited May 4, 2018 by sparkeh

[abillybob]

Thanks both any chance you can link me to where you found this info I can send it on then

[Arthur]

Thanks both any chance you can link me to where you found this info I can send it on then

This is the document...

 

https://ico.org.uk/media/for-organisations/documents/1542/cctv-code-of-practice.pdf

 

From...

 

https://ico.org.uk/for-organisations/guide-to-data-protection/cctv/