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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

to be seriously concerned about the illegal surveillance cameras and flags on lamp posts?

27 replies

Kije · Today 16:29

That's it, really. I live in a semi-rural area. No racial tensions locally, that I'm aware of, at all. The local small market town and surrounding roads are covered, and I do mean covered, in illegally posted flags, all over lamp posts - sometimes three deep. They come down (the local council sometimes stirs themselves to take them down) and are replaced within a few hours. It's been like this since late last summer.

And now the same charming people who are trying to intimidate what they like to call 'pathetic lefties' have put up dozens of surveillance cameras on the same lamp posts, aimed in all directions in a clear attempt to intimidate local people who'd like to take the flags down. The mob who do the flags have said on their own FB site, it's to 'protect their property' (eg the flags they've illegally stuck up lamp posts, it's essentially littering). The obvious take-home is, they think this is their town and they aim to create a chilling effect for anyone who dares to discuss this on local social media, or take the flags down again.

The flags are illegal: the cameras doubly so, I'd have thought, given privacy laws?? Or at least, I'm assuming surveillance cameras mounted on public property and aimed at pedestrians and drivers have to be done by a legitimate authority.

I look at what was happening in Belfast (and elsewhere) last night and honestly, I'm terrified for our country. We seem to be sliding into lawlessness and vigilantism, and blatant intimidation of anyone who speaks out against it.

OP posts:
MrsBennetsPoorNervesAreBack · Today 18:19

Images of identifiable individuals constitute personal data, so they can't legally collect or store any images without having a valid legal basis to do so, and they would have to comply with other aspects of the UK GDPR as @5128gap has said - so, privacy notices etc. So you could report it to the ICO, but it's highly questionable as to whether they would actually do anything about it.

I think your best bet would be to push your local council to do more to tackle this issue, and get your MP involved - it will make the council much more motivated to take action. You could highlight the GDPR issue to them as well.

Of course, GDPR only applies if the cameras are actually operational. They may just be dummies aimed at deferring people from taking their stupid flags down.

TemperanceWest · Today 18:25

Agree with Mrs B, the lamp-post cameras are probably dummies, just like the people who put them there.

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