Oxford City Council has been ordered by the Information Commissioner’s Office to justify controversial plans to install surveillance cameras in licensed taxis in the city.
The plans, which were due to come into force on April 1, apply to Hackney cabs and private hire taxis registered with Oxford City Council and would see GB pound 460 audio and video surveillance systems installed in all new taxis, in order to protect both drivers and passengers.
Existing vehicles would have until April 2015 to install the cameras, with the council contributing GB pound 100 towards the cost of the system.
The council say that the images will “enhance the confidence of those needing to undertake a journey and provide a safer environment for our licensed drivers”, but the ICO has said that that the scheme may be in breach of the Data Protection Act, and has asked the council to prove otherwise.
Under the plan, images would only be viewed in the event of an investigation into a specific complaint, and that images and audio recorded would only be held for 28 days in an encrypted format.
A spokesman said, “Officers are not permitted to view any images that do not relate to the actual matter being investigated. The risk of intrusion into private conversations has to be balanced against the interests of public safety, both of passengers and drivers.
“Oxford City Council considers that so long as clear notices are provided in vehicles which inform passengers that video and audio recording may be taking place, the risk of intrusion is acceptable compared to the public safety benefits. In any event, the level of privacy reasonably to be expected in a licensed vehicle is far lower than that expected in the privacy of ones home or own car.
“The fact that the recordings will be encrypted and only accessible in the event of a police investigation or investigation into a complaint against a driver are added safeguards.”
However, critics including MP Nicola Blackwood, Big Brother Watch and many of the drivers themselves say that the council plans are intrusive and a waste of money.
Blackwood, who is MP for Oxford West and Abingdon, said to the Oxford Times, “It is an invasion of privacy and undermining of civil liberties that neither passengers nor taxi drivers themselves have welcomed.
“The ICO stated to me that recording conversations between passengers is highly intrusive and unlikely to be justified.
“CCTV plays an important role in combating crime but that has to be balanced with privacy concerns and used within common sense limits.”
Oxford City Council have one month to respond to the ICO request. Spokesperson Annette Cunningham said, “As a public body, it is right that the council should reflect on the concerns expressed. The scheme has been suspended pending that reconsideration.”
Nick Pickles of Big Brother Watch simply said, “It’s time for the plan to be dropped.”
Speaking with info4security, an ICO spokesperson said, “The ICO is currently making enquiries into Oxford City Council’s scheme to install audio recording surveillance equipment in all of its taxis.
“As part of our enquiries, we recently served a preliminary enforcement notice to Oxford City Council and have given the authority until early next month to respond. The notice relates to our concerns that its scheme may not be compliant with the requirements of the Data Protection Act.
“We will consider the council’s response before deciding what action, if any, is required.”