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Copyright: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/8485056.stm |
CCTV monitoring
website launch delayed by review
The company says people will not know whom they are watching
A website which planned to pay members of the public cash
prizes for monitoring commercial CCTV footage online has had
its launch delayed.
The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) stopped Internet
Eyes operating fully while it investigates the plans.
The ICO is making sure the site meets data protection laws,
considering issues including training of staff and
identification of people in footage.
The company says it is willing to meet any requests set by the
watchdog.
The private company scheme intended to stream live footage to
subscribers' home computers from CCTV cameras installed in
shops and other businesses.
Worried
The company had initially offered to pay out up to £1,000 if
registered viewers spotted shoplifting or other crimes in
progress.
However, civil liberties campaigners had said the idea was
"distasteful" in asking private citizens to spy on each other.
Independent campaigning groups Privacy International and No
CCTV said they had received a number of calls from worried
members of the public, prompting the two organisations to
complain to the ICO.
Assistant information commissioner Jonathan Bamford said the
ICO had told Internet Eyes that any organisation operating
CCTV systems had to ensure they complied with the Data
Protection Act.
He said any images had to be used appropriately and those
monitoring footage had to be trained.
We have always been aware that we have to abide by the laws in
regards to data protection
Max Patey
He said if such monitoring systems were in place to help
"prevent and detect crime", the information should be provided
to law enforcement agencies.
He added that these same agencies were the only ones who
should generally be allowed to release images to identify
people when it came to criminal matters.
He also said it was "not appropriate to disclose images of
identifiable individuals for entertainment purposes or to
place them on the internet".
Internet Eyes sales and marketing manager Max Patey said the
company had been in touch with the ICO on several occasions
and had responded to all its concerns.
He said: "We have always been aware that we have to abide by
the laws in regards to data protection.
"The ICO has been very kind to us and we will adhere by their
suggestions."
'Rewarding vigilance'
He said representatives met the ICO in December to discuss
what the company had to do to be allowed to launch.
Mr Bamford said: "The ICO is reviewing this response to assess
whether the scheme complies with requirements of the Data
Protection Act."
Mr Patey said 13,390 people had already registered and were
logged in but there was nothing for them to view at the moment
due to the review.
Last month, the site's managing director, Tony Morgan, told
BBC's Inside Out London programme that it was not "a game" and
that viewers would not know exactly which camera they were
watching or where it was located.
He said: "We are just rewarding people for their vigilance.
People are frightened to report incidents because if their
curtain twitches - next thing they know there is a brick
through the window |
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