Everyone who wants to install video surveillance cameras must first inform The Data Inspectorate. All public places, which use video surveillance, must clearly indicate that surveillance is in progress. Concealed surveillance is prohibited. It is prohibited to provide or show recorded footage to third parties without the consent of those who are included in the footage. However the footage may be provided to the police. The recorded footage must be stored in a place to which only authorized personnel have access, and deleted once there are no longer any relevant grounds for retaining it, and no later than seven days after it is recorded.
Camera isn’t always best
The United Kingdom is the world’s most camera-ridden country, with more than 4.2 million surveillance cameras. A research group from the University of Leicester has studied how surveillance affected the occurrence of crime in selected areas. They found that crime was reduced in only two of the fourteen areas under surveillance. Research suggests that surveillance cameras may, to some extent, contribute to reducing the number of break-ins, robberies and thefts in well-defined and limited areas such as shops and parking lots. There is little evidence to prove that video surveillance in streets and shopping areas has a positive effect in terms of reducing violence in society.
Shutting people out
While the police use CCTV surveillance to prevent and solve crimes, the results of a Norwegian PhD thesis showed that others are more concerned about excluding unwanted visitors from their areas. Research suggests that camera operators at shopping centers, for example, are not particularly concerned about uncovering crimes or disturbances. Instead, it is more about determining who is wanted in the area. Those who are unwanted are removed – without having done anything wrong.
Cameras everywhere
Oslo is the most camera-ridden city in Norway. In and around Oslo City, Byporten shopping center and Oslo central station there are more than 500 surveillance cameras (2006).
