Scotland against sound on CCTV, says ICO

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The Scottish have shown a similar aversion to CCTV cameras which record sound to Londoners, according to a new survey from the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO).

A survey of a thousand Scots has shown 72 per cent are against such technology. Similar research carried out last month in London and the South East showed seven out of ten people in those regions were against such technology being used.

Ken Macdonald, assistant commissioner for Scotland at the ICO, said: "There are many benefits to using CCTV - such as helping with the detection of crime - and we know that CCTV enjoys a great deal of public support. However, there is the potential for CCTV systems to be extremely intrusive."

"Technological advances mean that cameras can record individuals' conversations, but we see this as an unacceptable invasion of privacy," he said.

It also found that 56 per cent of Scots know that the Data Protection Act covers CCTV, some 20 per cent higher than the survey of London and the South East found.

The research was released today to highlight the ICO's new CCTV code of practice, which was also launched today at the Scottish Parliament.

"Organisations and businesses must use CCTV responsibly in order to maintain public trust. Part of this means ensuring that they are operating CCTV systems in compliance with the Data Protection Act - and our code helps them do just that," Macdonald said.

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