The subject of CCTV in business premises has caused debate over the years and is wrapped up in a huge push to protect the individual rights and privacy of the general public. However, the new regulations to be introduced in 2018 to tighten control of all data related issues could help organisations to legitimise and reinforce their use of business CCTV equipment.
What Is GDPR?
The General Data Protection Regulation will be enforced from May next year and carries with it a complex new web of compliance rules. There are also large fines for companies that ignore its mandates or inadvertently breach the new data control regulations.
What It Means For Your CCTV Systems
Preparing for this involves an investment of time and money in new systems, resources and skills to protect personal data in a transparent way.
In terms of the new controls on CCTV equipment, there is a range of expanded or new obligations. However, they could be considered as a pathway to providing the public with greater reassurance and control over the way business CCTV is used. In other words, there is a way that companies can turn the GDPR into a positive PR advantage.
Companies will be required to be far more tangible and accountable in their use of CCTV to monitor security issues and anti-social behaviour, including clear notices of how imagery is being obtained and used. This takes CCTV firmly out of the shadows. Companies can demonstrate a stance as responsible employers, protecting both assets and public privacy.
Footage Accessibility
Another mandate of the GDPR is that businesses will have to make CCTV footage far more accessible and shareable – but only to authorised personnel or the person featured in the imagery. Modern CCTV equipment – especially cloud-based systems – provides employers with greater technical control over imagery, including who sees it and under what circumstances.
Installing the latest equipment, and showing how responsive and well monitored it is, will provide forward thinking companies with a competitive edge. With around 6 million CCTV cameras operating in homes, businesses, schools and public places around the UK, the GDPR is about imposing far greater accountability.
Working with I-HT CCTV, you can turn this challenge into a virtue and show that your company protects both privacy and security in equal measure. Contact us today.
