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

I don't do lengths I'm in there to sit in the water after a weights session or a treadmill walk and use the spa facilities.

Obviously off the point of the thread, but what an annoying use of the pool! Surely you're driving people trying to actually use it mad?

"When you're on the beach you know who's there, how many people can see you..."

You know everybody that's on the beach on a August day in the Algarve and do a head count ?

I think that's very different - and surely made the session inaccessible to some of the women who women-only sessions are designed for, those who (for religious reasons or otherwise) don't swim in front of men. I think that was completely unacceptable and should have been dealt with by staff.

But if you are on a beach in your bathing costume, you're being seen by anyone and everyone, aren't you? Given it's only gym members who can see the screen, I can't imagine they're going there just to look at people.

@Imdunfer why are you only engaging with people who disagree with you? The thread seems pretty evenly split but if you click to see all of your comments you would think pretty much everyone thinks YABU.

I was going to say this but didn’t want it to turn into a debate about selfish swimmers who are trying to swim lengths and deliberately splashing the rightful users who want to stand around at the ends chatting.

YABU. When my child did swimming lessons a I’d have loved to have been able to sit in the cafe and keep an eye on her. Anyone could be watching from anywhere, it’s not like the cctv from the changing room is being broadcast

Genuinely, why do you think it's there then? I actually sympathise with your view about what other purposes people could be using it for (i used to work in a public library where men would very openly watch porn on the computers so am under no illusions about being in public necessarily being a deterrent) but why do you think the pool would have bothered to have it installed?

I can only quote my late, unlamented mother whose response to anything like this was invariably "Nobody's looking at YOU!!! "

When I worked as a teacher, we were expressly forbidden to take photos of children while swimming. Whether it is for parents or a record of achievement. There is something suspect about keeping videos of people vulnerable people in a swimming pool that’s why most public pools do not allow it. I would pursue it if not with the pool then with the local council.

At our pool, anyone can sit in the viewing area and watch anyway. For swimming lessons, a parent has to be watching so it's helpful for them if they just popped into the cafe area to grab a drink.

@Imdunferout of curiosity, what is it specifically that you “don’t like” about the setup? Also, why do you think people will be that interested in you to spend their time watching you (I mean that in the nicest possible sense: most people have other things to be interested in and / or will likely just be staring at their phones most of the time).

I ask as being clear on it with yourself might help you come to the crux of the issue (which may not be the CCTV).

Except that this pool has a seating area tucked into the side.

Thanks for your responses everyone, I will act on the result of the poll

CCTV used by an organisation is covered by GDPR, they have to use the footage for its designated purpose and there needs to be clear signage.

In a swimming pool the purpose of CCTV is generally safety, if the cafe is unmanned they can’t justify showing it there. Showing footage in a cafe to allow parents to watch swimming lessons is not justifiable for safety. They should have appropriate lifeguards for the pool to assure safety. Any usage has to proportionate, this means they can’t relay on a dubious argument.

Write to their data protection lead and ask for a copy of their data protection impact assessment for showing the footage in the cafe.

I agree with you OP. They have this at my gym, anyone can use the cafe, even non members. It’s weird and also a bit pointless as the picture isn’t the clearest. They’d be better just to scrap it altogether.

Yes, I was wondering why @Imdunfer is at pains to stress that it's a "wet" swimming costume she's concerned about. Also the "dark" seating area - how dark can it possibly be?

I'm very conscious of it when posters use language to try and manipulate readers to their side of the debate, which it feels like is happening here.

OP, get a swimsuit that is definitely not see-through when wet.

And please tell us what your concerns are.....

OP: I don't like it
Why not?
OP: Because I don't like it.
Yeah, but why not? What are you worried about?
OP: I'm not worried, I just don't like it.

🙄

In my world people are entitled to have feelings they can't explain.

I will act on the result of the poll but because of attacking posts like this one to a perfectly reasonable thread, ("manipulating" ffs! )I won't be contributing to it any more.

Thank you again to everyone who replied.

Gyms are generally for age 16+ adults. Swimming pools are for babies and above. That’s a huge difference when it comes to safeguarding.

She doesn’t like it because having random blokes able to watch kids in swim stuff is objectively inappropriate. For the same reason they wouldn’t allow random blokes with no kids to sit on the side and stare at kids swim lessons.

Use your brain instead of eye rolling emojis and you might gain some insight.

The screen allows any gym member to see the pool, it's true. In the same way as any gym member could just go and look at the pool...

After experiencing a dangerous accident in a swimming pool where a child nearly drowned, I welcome CCTV in the pool area. BUT NOT in a changing room. You are usually able to view as a spectator, so what's the difference? Had there been CCTV at the time of the incident we could have seen deficiencies in the pool's response

So what happens when you ,and your family are on the beach and there are other people around?

She started out by saying she doesn’t like the idea of people that she can’t see being able to see her. Nothing about random blokes watching, sorry, staring at children swimming, although this has morphed into ‘but who’s thinking about the kiddies 😱?’ and the dark and sinister cafe being full of men in grubby macs fumbling under the tables.

Well why don't you express your view and ask if they have considered whether this is an appropriate use of people's data?

You are allowed to have a view. Every court case in the land has two sides arguing it out - you can just ask questions and say you're very uncomfortable.

Hmm. It would make me feel uncomfortable but I can't quite explain why.