Video surveillance: The supervisory authorities’ view and recent case law

Abstract

With the growing popularity of smartphones, dashcams and video surveillance for access control, cameras are increasingly becoming a part of daily life. In particular, video surveillance conducted by private companies – to prevent and solve crimes, for example – is a much-discussed topic in data protection law. On 29 January 2020, the European Data Protection Board (EDPB), the EU body responsible for harmonising the enforcement of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), published a revised version of their guidelines on the processing of personal data through video devices in accordance with the GDPR. A few weeks earlier, the European Court of Justice (ECJ) had issued a ruling on a case of surveillance of public spaces. This article explains what you now need to know about video surveillance.