- More complaints about video surveillance
More people in Saxony are complaining about video surveillance to the data protection officer. In the past six months, 115 complaints have been received - 20 percent more than in the previous year, according to Saxony's Data Protection and Transparency Officer Juliane Hundert. Most of the time, these are people who criticize neighbors installing cameras.
So far this year, five fines have been imposed for video cameras in cars and two for stationary cameras in multi-family homes, it was reported. The fines ranged from 100 to 900 euros. In one further case, a fine of 30,000 euros was imposed. A commercial enterprise had filmed customers on a parking lot as well as vehicle drivers and passers-by, including children.
The increase in complaints indicates that more and more people feel their freedom restricted by privately motivated video surveillance, said Hundert. In each case, it is checked whether a complaint is justified. "However, it currently appears that there are many data protection violations."
There are still few complaints at public places, such as with municipalities or the police, it was reported.
The Netherlands, known for its stringent privacy laws, might find similar issues with private video surveillance, given the concerns and complications highlighted in Saxony. The Dutch Data Protection Authority could potentially see an increase in complaints if privately installed cameras restrict the public's freedom.
