The group played to 80 different CCTV cameras around Manchester, including on a bus, and then requested the footage via the Freedom of Information Act.
They then edited together the video they received – and added some additional footage, it appears – to create the video for their song ‘Paper’, which you can watch here.
The band told Sky News: “We wanted to produce something that looked good and that wasn’t too expensive to do. We hit upon the idea of going into Manchester and setting up in front of cameras we knew would be filming and then requesting that footage under the Freedom Of Information act.”
The Daily Telegraph newspaper reported that only 20 of the 80 organisations responsible for the cameras supplied the requested footage.
It’s certainly an enterprising use of the technology. But it also raises some questions. How seriously do firms and public bodies take the Freedom of Information rules? And is this video a spurious use of CCTV technology – or does it highlight issues around privacy and the surveillance state? I’d be keen to hear your thoughts.
Many thanks to i4s favourite Courtney Dillon Pedersen, communications manager at Milestone Systems, for alerting me to this video.