CCTV in rented flat?

abi-em-mum83

I have spoken to housing assistant this afternoon, who is going to double check but she's 99% sure its not council installed, she has worked in council for almost 20 years and has never heard of cctv being installed in landings and stairways of buildings, and if they ever did it would be accompanied by a notice alerting people to it being there. She also advised that without divulging private information she strongly insists I do not approach the neighbour who's flat its adjacent to (after I was witness against him last year in a domestic violence case where we beat his fiance unconcious, I have no intention of asking!!) she is going to investigate it, but she asked that I contact police (non emergency line) as its illegal filming. She says he is breaching tenency agreements if its him as they need to ask permission before installing cameras in communal areas, even if its stationed exclusively on their door, and because of data protection and human rights its very very rarely given!
You may think Im being paranoid, and ok the videos show us going up and down stairs, struggling with shopping etc its the PRINCIPAL of secretly being filmed without any kind of idea of whats being done with the footage. All they need to do is put a note up saying that due to a theft, they are filming, and turn it to their front door!

bod1467

Why did you help beat his fiance unconscious? (Typos can be so small yet convey a whole different meaning).

arcon5

If there's no sign up i'd be curious why. Just knowing the camera is there may put people off committing crimes.. and we all know prevention is better than the cure.

Pound

unholyangel wrote: »

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1094516428

use the above to check and see if anyone is registered as a data controller.

Are you sure that's the right link? All I see there is a picture of a guy that looks like he's about to have Sam Beckett sitting on his right shoulder

bris

Yes you are being paranoid, not wanting the camera may be seen as you having something to hide. Just walking down any street these days means you can be captured on dozens of cameras, are you going to be complaining about all those one too.
If it helps with security in the building then why wouldn't you think this is a good thing.

mttylad

Put a sock in it.

Or even better over it

abi-em-mum83

bod1467 wrote: »

Why did you help beat his fiance unconscious? (Typos can be so small yet convey a whole different meaning).

Oh dear!lol. No WE certainly didnt beat his fiance unconcious, HE did! I was woken by their young child, screaming that they could not wake their mum, and when I got down stairs he was dragging her to the front door, said she was for the rubbish, grabbed the child and went indoors, leaving his bleeding,unconcious fiance outside in the snow!! Not a a nice man! Any instances of drugs and violence, as well as the problem with the motor bikes has all been with him! I have a reason not to want this man being able to watch mine and my families movements in and out of our home!
I have nothing to hide, but the difference between a stranger filming my comings and goings, and a shop,or on a street, is that they are regulated, there are safe guards in place and its not hidden! They have signs where if a member of public does not want to be filmed, they can CHOOSE not to be at that place. Hidden,secret, cameras, with no idea what the persons purpose is or what is being done with the footage! Its illegal! I wouldnt mind but from the angle and position of this camera, its not on his front door, its facing away from on, on to communal stairs. Its suspiciously away from both the front and back doors also, so wouldnt catch anyone coming to the building,or the storage facility we have on ground floor, its purely trained on the stairway. How that can be for security I do not know! All it would capture would is people coming up and down the stairs. And any criminal activity has always been on ground floor, at front or back doors, or this neighbours front door! I would very much like cctv fitted at the 2 main doors into the building, I would definately feel more secure with that. But I reiterate this camera would catch nothing except the stairs, no doors,no cellars etc. So if its security why only on the stairs, why would this neighbour care whats going on on the floors above him,surely he should be concentrating on other areas??
I really dont care if people think Im paranoid, before having my children I was a victim of stalking and a vicious assault, so I have good reason to be upset and suspicious that a stranger is filming me without my knowledge.
Oh and I have nothing to hide, apart from looking like a t*t on the days I struggle getting up and down the stairs, and that I dont care about! But I have a right to know who's filming me and why!!

unholyangel

Pound wrote: »

Are you sure that's the right link? All I see there is a picture of a guy that looks like he's about to have Sam Beckett sitting on his right shoulder

No idea where that link even came from! Or who it belongs to :rotfl:
Certainly nothing like the ico link that was meant to paste.

I've edited but just in case the link doesnt work right:
http://www.ico.gov.uk/what_we_cover/register_of_data_controllers.aspx

Flyboy152

abi-em-mum83 wrote: »

Oh dear!lol. No WE certainly didnt beat his fiance unconcious, HE did! I was woken by their young child, screaming that they could not wake their mum, and when I got down stairs he was dragging her to the front door, said she was for the rubbish, grabbed the child and went indoors, leaving his bleeding,unconcious fiance outside in the snow!! Not a a nice man! Any instances of drugs and violence, as well as the problem with the motor bikes has all been with him! I have a reason not to want this man being able to watch mine and my families movements in and out of our home!
I have nothing to hide, but the difference between a stranger filming my comings and goings, and a shop,or on a street, is that they are regulated, there are safe guards in place and its not hidden! They have signs where if a member of public does not want to be filmed, they can CHOOSE not to be at that place. Hidden,secret, cameras, with no idea what the persons purpose is or what is being done with the footage! Its illegal! I wouldnt mind but from the angle and position of this camera, its not on his front door, its facing away from on, on to communal stairs. Its suspiciously away from both the front and back doors also, so wouldnt catch anyone coming to the building,or the storage facility we have on ground floor, its purely trained on the stairway. How that can be for security I do not know! All it would capture would is people coming up and down the stairs. And any criminal activity has always been on ground floor, at front or back doors, or this neighbours front door! I would very much like cctv fitted at the 2 main doors into the building, I would definately feel more secure with that. But I reiterate this camera would catch nothing except the stairs, no doors,no cellars etc. So if its security why only on the stairs, why would this neighbour care whats going on on the floors above him,surely he should be concentrating on other areas??
I really dont care if people think Im paranoid, before having my children I was a victim of stalking and a vicious assault, so I have good reason to be upset and suspicious that a stranger is filming me without my knowledge.
Oh and I have nothing to hide, apart from looking like a t*t on the days I struggle getting up and down the stairs, and that I dont care about! But I have a right to know who's filming me and why!!

Abi, I fully agree and empathise with your feelings on this. I would not be happy if someone was secretly filming my children either. The "PC gawn mad" brigade are working overtime on this today, so ignore them. They like to feel outraged that someone suggests that our children don't have rights of privacy or that they deserve to be protected. It gives them a warm fuzzy feeling that is altogether quite odd. Especially when they defend the "rights" of others to secretly record the comings and goings of children.

This is nothing to do with "if you have nothing to hide," it is about privacy and protection from having ones movements recorded by an unknown person or persons, for undisclosed reasons.

WhiteHorse

Ask the council in writing if the camera is theirs. If it is, then you know who to deal with. If inclined, you could file a Data Protection Act request to see footage of yourself (CCTV images are covered by the Act, as is information derived from that footage).

If not, then presumably the camera is unauthorised. It's installation may have entailed damage to council property, and the person responsible may have breached the Data Protection Act themselves. In that case, you will need to find who put the camera in.