The legal regulation of CCTV in europe

Abstract

This paper explores the recent history of CCTV system regulation in England and Wales questioning whether recent additions to the law can be regarded as providing for effective regulation, in particular, of camera numbers. It goes on to explore the legal landscape relating to public and private use of CCTV to subject publicly accessible space to surveillance in Germany as well as giving an overview of the regulatory systems in France, the Netherlands and Sweden. Drawing from this analysis, minimum standards for effective regulation are explored in terms of fulfilling both the letter and the spirit of laws across Europe.