Taxi Driver Online

Today I spoke to the DPA who informed me that new CCTV guide lines will be forthcoming within the next few months. Included in these guidlines will be information in respect of CCTV in Taxi vehicles.

A recent observation by the new watchdog for CCTV suggests 90% of CCTV could be illegal.

Guidlines for protecting data gathered by CCTV can be read on the DPA website. If you have cctv in your cab which is not regulated by the council then it is up to you to safegaurd the integrity of any data in a secure place until such time you hand it over to the appropriate authorities.

http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/b ... 862457.ece

Regards

JD

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Copyright notice © The contents of this post are copyright of JD and are not to be reproduced outside of TDO without written permission.

I'm of the view that providing the data collected is stored securly, and can't be accessed by the driver directly, then CCTV in cabs should be 100% ok.

The only people who should have access are the installer, the police and the licensing team. In fact I can't think of any good reason why drivers would need to have access to the data for their own use.

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IDFIMH

I believe it should be this way as well,as there would be too much risk of the footage from the cctv ending up on the net or whatever.

If the access to the footage is controlled,then i cannot see what the problem is.

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www.youtube.com/watch?v=z07K29Fc15U

I suppose you do realise it is a criminal offence to publish personal data gathered in such a way.



Are you saying you cannot trust yourself to act in a responsible manner when it comes to securing data?

You do realise that if you publish personal data gathered in such a way the chances are you won't only lose your license to drive or operate a taxi or private hire vehicle you will also be liable to prosecution.

There are a great many authorities throughout the UK who allow CCTV in vehicles which are not controlled by councils or the police. I haven't seen or heard any abuse of these systems have you?

I count myself as self employed which means I am not employed by the council and just like every other self employed business, I run it on my own terms.

Until the Government implements a law that states only police or council officials are allowed to access CCTV in Taxis, buses, and every other form of transport then I expect to enjoy the same rights to operate and secure data as every other business, including Shops, pubs, entertainment establishments and every individual household.

Regards

JD

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Copyright notice © The contents of this post are copyright of JD and are not to be reproduced outside of TDO without written permission.

Five or six six years ago I spoke to the Home Office regarding CCTV, their reply was very similar to JD's post, and I totally agree with his post

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Justice for the 96. It has only taken 27 years...........repeat the same lies for 27 years and the truth sounds strange to people!

That would be my take on it.

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http://wingsoverscotland.com/ http://www.newsnetscotland.com/

Firstly JD yes i do trust myself but secondly i do not speak for other people.
Imagine the scenario where a new driver (thinking its a laugh)passes the cctv footage onto his pal and it ends up on the net.
That driver would lose his livelihood and the passenger might lose a lot more depending on what was recorded!!

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www.youtube.com/watch?v=z07K29Fc15U

So what you are saying is that you are not governed by the council and do not abide by their rules

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www.youtube.com/watch?v=z07K29Fc15U

Is that what I'm saying? It certainly didn't look like that to me and I expect it didn't look like that to everyone else.

I am licensed by the council and like everyone else I meet the terms of my license according to legislation, just like every other person who holds a license, whether it be a taxi license, liquor license or any other type of license?

A council has nothing whatsoever to do with the way I run my business and just like me they are governed by legislation which restricts them to their functions which are set out in legislation. Those functions do not lend themselves to the mandatory installation of CCTV equipment in Hackney carriages and neither do those functions give a council the power to insist on hackney carriage drivers using such equipment. However, if you think they do have the mandatory right to insist on the installation of CCTV then perhaps you would be so kind as to tell me and every other cab driver in the UK under what law they have that right? If you don't have an answer then perhaps you should concentrate on what a council can do within the law and not what they desire to do outside the law?

The top and bottom of the argument is this, If you can demonstrate that under current legislation a council has a legal right to insist on a proprietor installing CCTV in a hackney carriage and the power to insist on a driver using it, then you have a point to debate, if you can't demonstrate that point then don't you think it is pointless wasting energy on trying to support an argument that has no foundation in law and which cannot be applied?

You made an incorrect assumption about me not abiding by council rules, it was the wrong assumption to make.

If you had any understanding of the legislation you would have been in no doubt that your assumptions would have been better directed at those proposing this ludicrous idea and those considering its implementation, namely Brighton Council.

I'm going to ask you to demonstrate how the proposals are legal because most people would shy away from advocating proposals that are illegal?

Perhaps you belong to an organisation similar to that of Carlisle where they demonstrated their willingness to stuff the majority of the Carlisle Taxi trade by condoning and supporting the illegal condition because it suited them. Or perhaps you support the illegal condition in another particular authority that bars people from outside the licensed area obtaining a hackney carriage proprietors license?

The fact remains, that a council or a taxi organisation cannot circumvent the law just because a certain condition might be desirable. The sooner everyone realises that, the better it might be for all.

Regards

JD

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Copyright notice © The contents of this post are copyright of JD and are not to be reproduced outside of TDO without written permission.

Point taken JD.
I retract my statement

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www.youtube.com/watch?v=z07K29Fc15U

CCTV operators must not record conversations, says privacy watchdog 03/08/2007

Closed circuit television (CCTV) must not be used to record conversations, the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) has warned. The Commissioner has proposed a new Code of Practice on the use of CCTV.

The ICO has launched a consultation on changes to its existing code of practice for using CCTV, published in 2000.

"CCTV must not be used to record conversations between members of the public as this is highly intrusive and unlikely to be justified," said the proposed guidance for organisations which use the technology. "You should choose a system without this facility if possible. If your system comes equipped with a sound recording facility then you should turn this off or disable it in some other way."

Some CCTV operators have begun to include audio in their CCTV use. Some local authorities have begun fitting speakers beside cameras so that operators can admonish wrongdoers observed on camera in real-time.

The ICO said that some limited use of audio should be permitted. "The use of audio to broadcast messages to those under surveillance should be restricted to messages directly related to the purpose for which the system was established," it said.

"Audio based alert systems (such as those triggered by changes in noise patterns such as sudden shouting) may be acceptable subject to sufficient safeguards," said the guidance. "Two-way audio feeds from ‘help points’ covered by CCTV cameras will be acceptable where these are activated by the person requiring assistance."

The UK has more CCTV cameras per head of population than any other country in the world, and Information Commissioner Richard Thomas has previously warned that the UK is becoming a surveillance society without sufficient debate about what that involves.

"It is clear that use of CCTV enjoys a lot of public support and can have benefits such as helping with the detection of crime," said Jonathan Bamford, assistant commissioner at the ICO. "However, it can be extremely intrusive, putting law abiding people under surveillance. It is essential that the public is confident that CCTV is being used responsibly and for a proper purpose."

Most CCTV use is regulated by the Data Protection Act, and the guidance from the ICO is designed to help operators comply with the Act.

The consultation process is open for submissions and the closing date for responses is 31st October.

See:

The consultation documents

http://www.ico.gov.uk/Home/about_us/con ... tions.aspx
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