Is this a safeguarding concern?

[Zozo1990]

Asking for my mum who lives in a flat with four other neighbours on her floor. She lives with my dad and has grandchildren over every weekend. One of the neighbours had installed a wide-angle door camera with audio recording on the floor. The video recording covers the entire floor from the staircase door and lift to the other four flats and their doors. So they can see every single flat and who is coming and going from there. Conversations are recorded. I know this because the neighbour sent my mum a video and said how cute her grandkids were. She had footage of hrem dancing and singing a song whilst waiting for the lift. It was about a minute long!! My mum is in her 60s, and she's very uncomfortable now and has started taking the stairs down as she doesn't want to be recorded and her conversations recorded whilst she's waiting a minute or two for the lift to arrive.

Is this normal? Does anyone have experience of this?

I understand your experience in this area, and it’s helpful context. My concern is that this situation involves HD video and audio of families and children in a shared indoor corridor, which is different from typical cases. That’s why we'll report it rather than relying on past experiences or individual judgement. This as a privacy and tenancy concern because it involves recording video and audio of families and children in a shared indoor space, which isn’t allowed under tenancy rules or data protection.

If it's not allowed under tenancy regulations then that's the best route to take.

The individual is highly unlikely to be bound by GDPR, it doesn't cover private use. But you can always speak to the ICO for advice, they're very good.

I heard you first time. As I said, if you feel you need to report, then report. There is no need to ask for an opinion here as there are people with more knowledge of safeguarding legislature at the local council who can advise you. You seem to have made up your mind so I can't see what's the point of starting this thread.

It could be considered a breach of the GPDR act as filming other people's property needs their permission. I think individual doors and maybe comings and goings would be covered by that. I can see why you are uncomfortable with it.

Thank you for that advice, I'll contact them tomorrow. Much appreciated.

When we had CCTV installed, our installer was careful to ensure we only filmed on our own property and blacked out our neighbours gardens. I think it's highly probable what this neighbour has done is not allowed. I would start with the landlord of the block.

Contact the landlord/building management. When I lived in a flat we weren’t allowed them. I can’t remember the specific reason but something to the effect of not being able to record a privately owned communal area.

She's been telling my mum about the neighbour opposite my mum and hiw he's odd he stays home all day, only goes out at 5am and returns at 9am and is home the rest of the time. Something on here tells me if other people's children were indeed recorded everyday - their every movement of leaving their house and returning home, their conversations in the corridor whilst waiting for the lift - and footage stored on a neigbours personal cloud and app, they would see that as creepy and an invasion of privacy. I work in safeguarding, I can't understand why parents' alarm bells do not ring at this!! Odd.