To ask re legality of cctv - sound

[Autumn27]

Posted this on chat and got a few responses but thought I’d post here too as usually a few more responses Had a random discussion with my friend on Friday night who said his small company are installing cctv We were discussing whether these usually record sound ie conversations or not and what would be the legality of this ? Ie if employees conversations are recorded , is that legal / is it considered an invasion of privacy Random topic but we both didn’t know Anyone know if recording sound is legal?

Ages ago I looked up the legislation re CCTV recordings, and I think generally sound is not permitted. There's also rules on how long recordings are kept and their purpose etc.

When you include sound, that becomes surveillance. Something very different and I think different legislation covers it.

As long as there is a sign on entry telling you that you are recorded it is legal.

It's legal as long as the legislation is adhered to.

The person watching it must be aware of their responsibilities regarding the Data Protection Act and other laws.

When I worked in an off licence their camera recorded sound and we were made aware of it and how it would be stored etc.

If anyone objected they would be out of a job, so you don't have choice, as such.

All the rules are published on the Information Commissioner's website.
In general, it is difficult to justify the recording of sound.

In my part time job, the control room I work in is voice recorded as well as CCTV. But that's very specific and for accountability purposes, as the room is where the arena safety officer and emergency services make decisions. The recording backs up the written log and is only listened to in case of ambiguity or legal challenges. We all had to sign a form to say we agreed with the recording.