CCTV of swimming pool playing in cafe

[Imdunfer]

Looking for advice on whether it would be rational to make a formal complaint about this.

The gym I use has just started playing the live CCTV feed of the swimming pool area into the cafe.

I'm very unhappy about being watched in my swimming costume by people I can't see watching me, but also there are children's swimming lessons going on in the pool as well and that feels like a safeguarding issue.

I've talked to the guy manning the desk and he brushed it off.

UABU - you are being unreasonable, there's nothing wrong with people you can't see being able to watch you and little children in wet swimming costumes.

UANBU - make a formal complaint

It wouldn’t bother me, I am guessing it shows the whole pool? So it’s hardly zooming in on you in your swimming costume? I doubt anyone’s going to be staring at it whilst drinking their coffee….I know I wouldn’t. we have a huge viewing area next to our local pool, it has vending machines so people can drink coffee and eat snacks whilst watching the pool, I can’t see how this is much different

I don't think this is unreasonable at all. Especially as there's children in swim costumes. My main concern as a parent would be:

A) who's watching this footage live whilst tucked away in a cafe? - Yes when you take your children swimming or to a public place in their swimwear you risk them being seen by a pedophile, but In person at least I can keep an eye on others/surroundings/anything untoward (even if I can't prevent them being looked at). You can't see who's watching your kids on this screen unless you're also in the cafe.

B) Is this footage being stored and if so, what safeguarding procedure is there to stop it being shared/accessed by the wrong type of people?

I wouldn't be happy with this at all and would be raising it to the manager or moving my children out of that environment.

I'd hate it. And if on CCTV, it may be recorded too. There's a difference of friends and family watching their friend in the pool from the sidelines with a coffee to it being played on a screen imo.

I can see how this might be useful for some parents.

However what would worry me is what would stop someone from recording or photographing the screen? So this arrangement would make me uncomfortable.

Being in a costumie in or arounf the pool area is fine bit being seen in cafe on a screen is an issue?

How do you know people arent filming and putting it on social media themselves?

No i have no issue in this

I am very body conscious and would feel uncomfortable - but then I feel that way on holiday etc. However, in this case, additional surveillance that means that children who are in trouble in the pool can be observed by onlookers and help obtained more quickly, and [because they are observed] actual pedophiles will be less able to actually molest children. To me it seems to be a good thing, as it will keep children safer. That has to outweigh sensitive body conscious mothers, surely?

So what happens when peeps go to the beach and swim? Open to the general public and can be seen by all, you don't know who's watching then. Or do 50% of the voters not go to the beach, or sit around a pool when on holiday because they might be seen?
I get the OP's concern but it is safer for parents to be away from the pool side to watch their kids, but anyone could be watching, even parents have been known to be abusers or watch kids. What is the answer ? I don't know, wish I did.

If I was using the jacuzzi, I don't suppose I'd appreciate being surrounded by fully-clothed parents sitting on the edge.

We visit a few pools and they all have cafes with large windows overlooking the pool, so I couldn't get very upset about this. The people in the cafe are usually relatives of swimmers waiting until they get out. My grandmother couldn't swim but spent many an afternoon in the cafe watching us swim with our grandad.

You say you spoke to the guy manning the desk and he brushed it off………chances are, he has no idea. If you’re determined to know why then you need to take your enquiry higher up the management chain.
I’m not saying it’s right or wrong but concerns need to be based on facts surely? There could possibly have been an issue previously in the pool area and decision was made to monitor activity going forward.

Question for the OP.
If they take the CCTV out of the cafe so the parents can't watch the pool from there, how are you going to cope in the pool when the poolside is full of parents - who now have to be there to watch their children and that presumably includes some men (and in your world all men appear to be potential child molesters or perverts ogling you)?

Visually, on CCTV, What's the difference between the appearance of a wet or a dry swimming costume? They don't shrink or go see through when wet?

Don’t be ridiculous. At no point do you know exactly who is and isn’t watching you. Nobody cares about you in your swimming costume, wet or dry.

We aren't allowed phones out poolside to record the kids or anyone else.
If the cctv is being played in a public area what's to stop someone recording parts of it on their phone. I wouldn't want screen shots of my fat arse sent around for a laugh.

There’s nothing in the OP to suggest this is new CCTV, it’s just now being “live-streamed” into the “dark & dingy” seating area. Clearly you weren’t bothered about people watching you in private previously (the staff watching the cctv) so the issue isn’t that you can’t see who’s watching you, it’s the location. The fact you’ve mentioned it being dark and dingy multiple times, plus unmanned, and said it wouldn’t be beyond the realms of possibility when another poster mentioned a bloke sitting in there wanking to the live feed, I suspect THIS is the real issue. If the area were well lit or manned, would you feel better about it?

I am supporting you just because there is to much CCTV around these days and they need a good reason to add more not just because parents may want to sit in the cafe and have a coffee while watching their kids

I think the op's issue is that on the beach you know who's there, how many ppl can see you etc
Also everyone would be typically dressed for the beach, which kinda makes everyone equal. Someone dry and fully clothed just sat watching you on a screen when you cannot see them feels different. Also a screen is a kind of focus to watch as opposed to just blending in to the surroundings. I'll come clean and own up I was S A as a child and have zero trust and would be getting this removed by whatever means necessary if this was me. Its an invasion of her privacy and erodes her ability to weigh up her surroundings/situation as she can't see who can see her. I understand why the op finds it demeaning or intrusive.

The fact is that what the gym is doing is illegal - they have no notices clearly displayed stating that cctv is in operation. The chances are that they have no policies around data control, retention of recordings and who can access the recordings.

It wouldn't bother me personally to the extent that I wouldn't even think about it I don't think.
However I can understand your feelings, I used to go to a woman only swim session and there was a bloke, I think the partner of one of the swimmers, used to sit watching in the seats, which made me very irate. It wasn't that I particularly cared about him watching me, I went to women only because it was less busy and less splashy rather than for any other reason, and I think he was watching his partner not everyone, but it was the entitlement.
Butlins used to have windows in the cafes that were below the pool surface, so you got a lovely view of everyones' legs and bums, I wonder if they still do.

Our gym has the pool on a CCTV screen in the reception area, so you can see how busy it is. You can't see anything with people swimming as their bodies are underwater. Wouldn't occur to me to be bothered at all.

I mean presumably you are mostly in the water while swimming anyway. With the water moving around you it's not like anyone can see you clearly anyway. Unless it's the kind of pool where you'd be lying on a sunlounger around it?

When your swimming do you look through the window to see whose watching you?!

I'm not confident in my swimming costume and would rather not know if people are watching me or not so I'd rather be seen on CCTV than have someone staring at me from the poolside.
I don't think it's a massive risk for the children as they are covered in a costume and presumably their parents are there so very small risk of anything happening. Probably about the same amount of risk as a pool where people can sit poolside.

If it bothers people that much why are they going swimming where they will be seen by other pool users, shower areas and changing rooms?
I doubt anyone cares what anyone else is doing anyway.

I think this is far more about you to be honest.

Obviously you're free to complain but do you actually expect them to do something about it?

And if so, what?