Data protection and the importance of video redaction
Data protection is one of those dull subjects nobody really wants to have to think about, but it’s an essential consideration in the day-to-day running of your business. And while most of us are now well-versed in the requirements of the Data Protection Act and GDPR when it comes to things like email mailing lists, one area that’s perhaps less well known and understood is how these rules apply to the use of CCTV footage. Data protection violations can potentially land you with a substantial fine, so let’s take a look at what you need to do to stay on the right side of the law – and the easy way to do it.
Personally identifying information
Take a casual look through any random few minutes of CCTV footage, and the more you look, the more details you’ll see that can identify the people you’re seeing in the images. That’s especially of the ultra-sharp images captured by HD CCTV – a far cry from those grainy images we used to see on Crimewatch.
Whether it’s a car number plate, a distinctive tattoo or even a credit card number, it all counts as ‘personally identifying information’, and under data protection regulations, you’re expected to scrub these details out of footage before using it.
So when might you need to do this? We’re talking things like using CCTV to:
- Build an evidence bank against a serial shoplifter
- Provide evidence in court hearings
- Conduct disciplinary proceedings against an employee
- Make an insurance claim
- Put together training materials or case studies
- Respond to Subject Access Requests
To clarify, when we talk about removing all personally identifying information from footage, we’re talking about protecting the privacy and dignity of bystanders and other unrelated individuals – so if you’re using the footage in a police enquiry or insurance claim, for example, you’ll obviously need to keep the details of the person under scrutiny!
Manual video redaction is a thing of the past
In days gone by, video redaction was a time-consuming process involving manually trawling through footage and blurring out identifying details. Fortunately, technology has moved on since then, and intelligent AI software now makes it possible to speed things up considerably.
Here at iFacility, our specialist Security Industry Authority staff can quickly get rid of all manner of personally identifying information and other things that need redacting from your CCTV footage before it can be used in a GDPR-compliant way. That might include:
- Faces
- Tattoos or other distinguishing marks or features
- Vehicle number and licence plates
- Minors or vulnerable people
- Members of the public or victims
- Sensitive or explicit content
- Branding or location information
We’re able to redact one person or several throughout the footage, and if you’d like to play it completely safe, we can simply blur the whole scene except for the person at the centre of your enquiry.
Whether you’re gathering footage via our cutting-edge V5 AI-powered security system or working with a legacy system, all you need to do is submit a video redaction request via our myFacility platform, and we’ll upload your compliant footage there when we’re finished. It’s as simple as that!
Save yourself hours by calling us on 01749 600 600 or click the link below to get your business’s video redaction needs taken care of in record time.