Businesses are increasingly using surveillance cameras to enhance security and monitor activities. Today, there are over a billion surveillance cameras installed worldwide [1].
However, as businesses collect and store surveillance video data, it’s crucial to prioritize privacy protection to prevent unauthorized access, maintain compliance with privacy regulations, and protect your reputation.
It’s essential to have controls in place for capturing, storing, and sharing video data. Below are some key tips for ensuring privacy protection for your business surveillance video data.
Employ Methods for Protecting Privacy in Surveillance Video
There are a few ways companies can leverage camera technology, including analytics, to protect the privacy of people captured on camera.
Redaction
Although redaction doesn’t happen in real-time, companies use it when they need to share video that has not been anonymized. Redaction is applied after the video is taken and can remove or obscure sensitive information from surveillance footage, such as faces, license plate numbers, or any personally identifiable information. This helps maintain privacy by avoiding the exposure of personal or confidential information when it’s unnecessary.
Dynamic Anonymization
Dynamic anonymization uses analytics to anonymize individuals in real-time in surveillance video feeds. This way, people not involved in an incident or crime can remain anonymous, while authorized individuals can unmask those central to an investigation. Dynamic anonymization protects privacy while allowing officials to identify people when necessary [2].
Permanent Masking
Businesses can also permanently mask people in a video, which is an option if people are not the object of your surveillance. With permanent masking, there’s no way to unmask people if they become of interest in an investigation. Companies can also apply permanent masking to certain areas and dynamic masking to others so they can retract the masking if needed.
Thermal Imaging
In cases where people need to be monitored for safety but privacy is an issue, thermal imaging technology can provide an additional layer of privacy protection. Thermal cameras capture heat signatures rather than explicitly identifying individuals or details, making it impossible to discern facial features or personal characteristics. This method ensures privacy while still allowing businesses to detect anomalies, safety issues, or potential threats.
Protect Privacy With Secure Storage and Access Control for Video Data
Implementing stringent access control and secure storage measures is essential for protecting video data privacy. Ensure that the surveillance video data is encrypted both during transmission and while at rest on storage devices. Additionally, limit access to authorized personnel only and implement authentication protocols, such as strong passwords or multifactor authentication, to prevent unauthorized access to the data. Only authorized individuals should be able to access unmasked video footage or have the ability to unmask people in a video.
Ensure Compliance With Regular Audits
Regularly auditing your surveillance video data management practices is essential for maintaining privacy compliance. Stay up to date with privacy regulations, such as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), and ensure your surveillance practices align with those regulations [3]. Conduct routine assessments of your privacy protection measures to identify any vulnerabilities and make necessary improvements to protect your reputation and prioritize privacy when capturing footage.
Train and Educate Employees on Safe Data Handling
Educating and training employees about the importance of privacy protection and the proper handling of surveillance video data is crucial. Ensure that employees are aware of privacy policies, data management protocols, and their responsibilities in protecting sensitive information. Regular training sessions and reminders help reinforce privacy best practices and maintain a privacy-conscious culture within your organization, which can further strengthen video data privacy.
Are You Prioritizing Privacy in Your Video Data?
By implementing these privacy protection measures, businesses can ensure their surveillance video data is safe, secure, and compliant with privacy regulations. Prioritizing privacy protection not only protects individuals’ rights but also helps build trust with customers, employees, and stakeholders. Are you prioritizing privacy when capturing video? Learn more about enhancing security while protecting your reputation by contacting Surveillance Secure today at (877) 388-1248.
Sources:
- https://www.wsj.com/articles/a-billion-surveillance-cameras-forecast-to-be-watching-within-two-years-11575565402
- https://securitytoday.com/articles/2019/06/28/idis-dynamic-privacy-masking-delivers-enhanced-anonymization-and-privacy-tools.aspx
- https://www.securityinfowatch.com/video-surveillance/article/12410462/why-gdpr-matters-in-america
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