Media release: Review report – ‘Camera surveillance through the privacy lens: Local government use of camera surveillance in public spaces and privacy impact assessments’
Local governments are increasingly adopting advanced surveillance technologies and artificial intelligence-enabled systems in public spaces to monitor and respond to public safety risks and deter unlawful and unsafe conduct.
As we move through our local communities going about our daily lives, increasingly our image, location and movements are being captured by these surveillance technologies. In doing so, these technologies collect the personal information of individuals. The personal information of invidividuals are subject to information privacy protections under the Information Privacy Act 2009 (Qld) (Information Privacy Act).
As part of our review and monitoring activity, we examined the use by Queensland’s local governments of camera surveillance systems in public spaces, and whether and to what extent local governments conduct privacy impact assessments to ensure they are meeting privacy obligations under the Information Privacy Act.
The review found that most local governments have established privacy policies and strategies to manage privacy. They recognise the importance of privacy in fostering public trust and cooperation, particularly in the context of camera surveillance systems.
However, while privacy impact assessments are a critical tool for identifying and mitigating privacy risks, local governments do not consistently use them when implementing, expanding or upgrading camera surveillance systems.
While the privacy impact assessments focused reasonably well on privacy risks and strategies, the review found the assessments undertaken were not sufficiently thorough.
The Information Commissioner Joanne Kummrow said, “Given the prevalence of camera surveillance systems in public places installed and operated by local governments and their capture and collection of individuals’ personal information, it is critical that members of the public trust that agencies are taking privacy seriously and ensuring they meet their obligations under the Information Privacy Act. Privacy impact assessments assist agencies in achieving this.”
“The best time to conduct a privacy impact assessment is before creating, growing or upgrading a system, as part of a ‘Privacy by Design’ approach. Incorporating privacy protections into a system is more efficient and cost effective than reverse engineering privacy protections into an established system” said Ms Kummrow.
The report makes six recommendations to local governments and agencies operating camera surveillance in public spaces.
