Does your organisation process CCTV images? Do you understand what is required to ensure that you legally comply with the Data Protection Act if and when CCTV is used? Images which can identify a member of the public are ‘personal data’.
They must be respected and protected as a legal requirement of the Data Protection Act (DPA). Failure to do so, mis-use, mis-management or abuse of images is non-compliance. It could lead to prosecution or it may be that the images cannot be used as evidence in a court of law.
The system must be registered with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) if it processes images of the public which can identify them.
Your attention is drawn to compliance with General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018 (DPA18) in respect of use of your CCTV system.
The Act applies to all types of CCTV systems and is enforceable where a CCTV system obtains, records, or stores personal data in the form of video images
From 25 May 2018, the Data Protection (Charges and Information) Regulations 2018 requires every organisation or sole trader who processes personal information to pay a data protection fee to the ICO, unless they are exempt.
Your CCTV system may need to be registered by notifying the Information Commissioner at https://ico.org.uk/for-organisations/data-protection-fee/ or telephone 0303 123 1113.
NB: From 25 May 2018, people who use CCTV for domestic purposes, i.e.: to monitor their property, even if it films beyond the boundaries of their property will be exempt from paying a fee under data protection law.
For more information on the use of CCTV on domestic property, see the following website address;
https://ico.org.uk/your-data-matters/domestic-cctv-systems-guidance-for-people-using-cctv/
Warning signs must be displayed to show that CCTV cameras are recording, stating the purpose of the system and including details of who manages the system and contact details.
For more information, contact the information commissioner at https://ico.org.uk/or telephone 0303 123 1113.
As you can see from the above, the Data Protection Act regulations and the CCTV Code of Practice can be a minefield!
We run workshops that teach you about CCTV compliance for your business, so that you understand what you do and don’t need to do.
Find out more about our CCTV Compliance Workshops
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