Pauline Norstrom, who is also the group head of marketing at CCTV giant AD Group, warned that advances in technology are bringing “new challenges” which will need to be met by tougher legislation and industry standards.
In a written submission to the House of Lords Committee on the Constitution, Norstrom said powerful new CCTV systems have the ability to record more pictures per second and are cheaper to operate.
“The capability of CCTV systems has changed dramatically in recent years with the move from analogue to digital allowing more powerful and flexible systems to be rolled out for commercial and public space surveillance,” she wrote.
Norstrom said some safeguards are in place to stop people’s privacy being unnecessarily eroded, but warned that they not must be abused.
“Whatever the pressures from the Police or security services in the fight against crime and terrorism we need to be extremely cautious in how – if ever – we choose to breach the terms of Human Rights Act and Data Protection Act with regards to CCTV,” she said.
The AD Group statement said that, however beneficial it may at first appear, breaches of current legislative controls on CCTV should only be allowed in exceptional circumstances like in the aftermath of a terrorist attack.
AD Group is the latest organisation to submit evidence to the Lords Committee on the Constitution, which is looking at the impact of surveillance and data collection on the privacy of citizens.
Norstrom’s submission also notes how digital technology has made it easier for different types of information to be cross-referenced and sent to third parties without individuals’ consent.
The committee’s inquiry is ongoing.
