The Data Protection Act ( DPA ) requires a combination of meeting legal requirements and also good practice. This can be difficult to achieve with an inherited CCTV system. I will be looking at a few areas of the Data Protection Act that can made compliant with a few changes. As independent consultants we are often asked to help in such areas.

One area where building CCTV systems fall foul is when the CCTV Monitor on reception can be viewed by visitors to the building.

Its difficult to hide the CCTV cameras viewed on the CCTV monitor on existing CCTV systems unless you redesign the whole reception!

However, a useful bit of Security advice is to use a neat little trick is to fix an anti glare screen to the CCTV monitor.

CCTV Monitor with an anti glare screen fitted, viewed from the front

Now you see me

CCTV Monitor with an anti glare screen fitted, viewed from the side.

Now you don't!

One area of Data Protection Act compliance achieved!

Its important to ensure that the CCTV monitor cannot be viewed even after adding an anti glare screen, and this solution is not always the only solution required, however, its been a cheap fix for a number of CCTV systems!