What will changes to data privacy legislation mean for security and surveillance companies?

In the UK there is a new data reform act working its way through the legislative process. As the law changes, the market changes – so this year will see many companies trying to read the tea leaves and adapt their offerings to take advantage of the emerging changes.

The security marketplace is, apparently, constrained by the need for great privacy – it appears to be a zero-sum game – you can have privacy, or you can have security, you can’t have both. In the second half of the year, it is likely that more firms will require services which enable the use of video analytics to extract operational value from visual data, while using AI-powered tools to protect privacy as standard.

Privacy-enhancing technologies

One of the areas where there is a huge interest is among retailers, who use video cameras not only to reduce shrinkage and protect employees, but also for video analytics (to understand customer behaviour).

Several other industries such as transport, retail, and healthcare have also had an increased rollout

One area which is extremely interesting and very poorly understood is the extent to which these videos troves are protected under GDPR. The short answer is they are protected, and the second half of 2022 will see more retailers adopting privacy-enhancing technologies to allow them to open up their security footage to help optimise operations and marketing. There will undoubtedly be a rise in live video capture for safety and accountability. Seven US states now mandate body-worn cameras for police officers, and they are also common practice with UK police. Several other industries such as transport, retail, and healthcare have also had an increased rollout.

CCTV camera operators

In parallel, both public and private organisations are turning more towards video analytics, as they can be useful in many different contexts; they can help in saving time for CCTV camera operators, help efficiency in monitoring places for crime, and can be integrated into other systems – i.e., counting footfall at different locations – as well as use for smart parking, automatic licence plate recognition, and facial recognition.

2022 will bring further growth in consumers investing in personal video surveillance for their homes. With the pandemic having forced many to stay at home, home security has become more of a priority. Ring, which produces doorbell cameras, is increasingly popular: they are now the largest corporate-owned civilian-installed surveillance network in the U.S.

Personal security cameras

Countries like China have already incorporated heavy use of facial recognition technology

Interestingly, some of the first GDPR cases and fines have arisen surrounding these cameras, with questions surrounding lawfully processing data and invasion of privacy. As a result, we could see more of a legal requirement for individuals to process footage from their personal security cameras in compliance with GDPR.

While the privacy and human rights issues surrounding facial recognition remain heavily discussed, its use will become a lot more ubiquitous – but with concurrent pushes for regulation. Countries like China have already incorporated heavy use of facial recognition technology, and in the West, particularly in smart cities, it is being adopted in different areas; namely, in airports, retail stores, hospitals, and in the workplace, as well as verifying identities online.

Trialling facial recognition

The police in the UK have also been trialling facial recognition AI for ‘predictive policing’ to tackle crime and use these video analytics for intelligence gathering. In the second half of the year, the EU will reach resolution on its new AI Act that looks to ban facial recognition for a range of sectors.

The EU will reach resolution on its new AI Act that looks to ban facial recognition for a range of sectors

Companies’ attitudes toward privacy are shifting. Attitudes towards security methods for securing data are changing, with it no longer being a simple check-box exercise, but important for brand reputation and marketing purposes. Investing more money and effort into securing data privacy, as well as weighing out the benefits of data localisation, will become more commonplace for businesses when trying to keep customer data secure.

Managing personal data

Cyber-attack will continue to be one the largest risk for data management, alongside data misuse from employees. Recent statistics from CISCO have shown that over 50% of consumers would switch to companies they believe have better policies around the handling of data.

Consumers are wanting greater trust and transparency from the businesses they engage with, leading to companies changing the way that their internal and external practices deal with and manage personal data. Privacy is no longer about compliance and more to do with business reputation and trust – and customers and employees are becoming more cognisant of this. The author of this article is Simon Randall, CEO of Pimloc, the video privacy, and security company.