On March 7, 2024, the Information Commissioner (the Commissioner) published an article on the use of surveillance equipment by individuals on domestic properties including CCTV and camera doorbells. The Commissioner highlighted that individuals operating surveillance equipment for non-domestic purposes are required to register with the Commissioner and pay the registration fee. However, there are steps individuals can take to potentially avoid registration, such as:

• evaluating the purpose of surveillance equipment and restricting its use to within the property boundaries for purely personal or household activity;
• adjusting the position of the equipment to ensure it only records or processes data within the property boundary;
• assessing the necessity of audio recording and disabling this function if it's not essential for the intended purpose; and
• exploring non-invasive security options such as improved locks, security lighting, or other methods that fulfill security needs without infringing on privacy rights.

Moreover, the Commissioner distinguished dashcams from CCTV due to their ad-hoc processing nature and limited data access unless an incident occurs.

Regarding enforcement, the Commissioner can investigate complaints about non-compliant surveillance equipment usage and may take regulatory action if necessary.

You can read the press release here.