The Biometrics and Surveillance Camera Commissioner, Professor Fraser Sampson, has written a letter to Jeremy Quin MP supporting the need for a review into public space surveillance in the light of recent ethical and security concerns.
Professor Sampson sent the letter following a meeting with the Policing Minister to discuss the Surveillance Camera Code, security and ethical issues in the use of surveillance camera technology, and Artificial Intelligence in the same sphere, and their collective impact on public trust and confidence in the legitimate use of new surveillance technology.
During that meeting Professor Sampson pointed out that “many responsible and experienced voices have indicated a need for a review of public space surveillance”. He cited this in the context of the recent Panorama programme, called ‘Is China watching you?’, and a prior meeting he had had with the Cabinet Office and Vincent Devine, the Government Chief Security Officer, pressing the government to address the presence of these systems on its estate.
In the letter, he also highlights the fact that these issues were briefly discussed earlier with Jeremy Quinn, MP, when he was Policing Minister, and that in November 2022, when the government instructed departments “to cease deployment of such [visual surveillance] equipment onto sensitive sites, where it is produced by companies subject to the National Intelligence Law of the People’s Republic of China”.
“Having recently conducted a survey of the police and local authorities’ use of similar technology, I too am of the view that a review is needed,” says Professor Sampson in the letter, “if only to answer the question being asked of us on a daily basis: “just how many of these cameras are pointed at us?”. Professor Sampson concludes by stressing that he believes a review is supported by the evidence risks and that it should be done in the context of their impact on critical national infrastructure and national security.
