Webcams

MargaretR · 02-02-2009, 14:50

I was browsing webcams today looking for snowy problems and found this webcam in Barnoldswick which is positioned to look out of someones back upstairs window.
If you scroll down to near the bottom of the page you will find a youtube link where you will be able to watch the neighbours eat their tea and put their rubbish out.
I wonder if they know - and would they care if they did?
I think this is a gross intrusion of privacy -
Big Brother is in Barlick

Lancashire Views and Weather

cashman · 02-02-2009, 14:56

so you would be offended if i posted those i have of you,on you tube?

MargaretR · 02-02-2009, 14:59

I missed seeing you up a tree or in a low flying helicopter

emzy · 02-02-2009, 15:01

I dont think I would be best pleased if that was overlooking my house and watching my movements.

garinda · 02-02-2009, 17:07

Someone was in the bathroom a long time on the YouTube link.

I wonder whether they were sat in the bath, watching the coming and goings that had happened.

No, I wouldn't like it, if it was pointed at my house.

I wonder what the legal position is?

Seems odd you can't easily photograph a school play, but you could watch the kids in their bedroom doing their homework, as many children's rooms are at the back of houses because they're smaller.

Ossywarrior · 02-02-2009, 20:29

is it really that big a problem ?

MargaretR · 02-02-2009, 20:34

Well they could just draw the curtains but visitors entering the back way for dodgy purposes can be seen worldwide

Ossywarrior · 02-02-2009, 20:36

i hope in that comment u mean robbers and not another way of "visiting through the backdoor" that may be seen on webcam

mattylad · 03-02-2009, 14:32

From what I have read over the web...

That first camera is committing an offence , purely because it is looking directly into a bedroom.
The others are not.

However, the putting of the images on the web may well be unless the camera owner is registered with the information commissioner.
(or the permissions of the house being recorded).

It's one thing to have cameras for personal security & to only show the images to the police services, it's another completely if you reshow them on the web to the public.

Studio25 · 03-02-2009, 23:01

Quote:

Originally Posted by mattylad

...the putting of the images on the web may well be unless the camera owner is registered with the information commissioner.

For what it's worth! I queried the implications of setting up the Great Harwood Webcam with regards to privacy rights. 11 months later, I got my first response from the information commissioner's office.

Quote:

Originally Posted by mattylad

It's one thing to have cameras for personal security & to only show the images to the police services, it's another completely if you reshow them on the web to the public.

The Great Harwood webcam doesn't record - I thought it would avoid any privacy problems. Since it was installed, both the police and the press have been in touch to find out if they can get saved video to help with two separate incidents.

(As it happens, in both cases there would not have been anything they could use even if it did record.)