A ‘surveillance roadmap‘ has been published that describes roles and responsibilities of the bodies involved in overseeing surveillance legislation in the UK.
The document is useful for setting out the laws covering surveillance in the UK, such as the best known Data Protection Act (whose regulator is the Information Commissioner) and the Human Rights Act. In the document’s words, it sets out ‘who is responsible for what and the avenues open to individuals who wish to challenge any surveillance to which they are subjected’.
It also sets out who regulates what – the Office of the Surveillance Commissioner for example is not the same as the Surveillance Camera Commissioner; the former covers covert surveillance, under RIPA (Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act); while the SCC is to do with public space CCTV cameras, as set up from the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012.
There’s contact details for each regulator and commissioner; and links to more reports. For the 22-page document in full visit https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/546785/surveillance-road-map_2016.pdf.
Picture by Mark Rowe; CCTV, Morley station, West Yorkshire.
