The Privacy Committee believes that there is strong justification for measures to be taken to protect the privacy of employees from the unrestricted use of video surveillance in the workplace. The Committee believes that the manner in which video surveillance is being introduced into workplaces is unsatisfactory and is inconsistent with a democratic society which values the privacy and dignity of individuals. The Committee also believes that its own enquiries have probably uncovered only a small proportion of the privacy invasions occurring as a result of video surveillance. Even if this is not the case, a denial of human rights should not be ignored on the basis that the problem is not sufficiently widespread to justify action. The problems related to video surveillance are likely to grow in the future due to a heightened awareness of the capacities of surveillance cameras and falling costs.
New issues are likely to arise as surveillance becomes more common.
For example, security systems may be used to monitor the conduct of employees randomly throughout workplaces. Employees who conflict with supervisors or management, or who expose corrupt conduct, may be intimidated by being placed under constant surveillance. In the absence of appropriate regulation, industrial disputes may also continue to arise over the misuse of video surveillance in workplaces. The rapid growth of workplace video surveillance is occurring in a regulatory vacuum, in which employees are unable to assert their right to privacy. At present, employees do not have the right to be consulted by employers, or to know the purpose of surveillance, how the surveillance system will operate, or how records will be used.