Surveillance Cameras in Residential Buildings

The Office for Personal Data Protection (of the Czech Republic) has recently given its statement regarding installation of surveillance cameras with recorder in residential buildings.

The Office for Personal Data Protection (hereinafter the “Office”) deals in the statement not only with admissibility of installation of surveillance cameras with recorder in residential buildings, but also introduces obligations connected with the processing of personal data by surveillance cameras with recorder that were installed in a residential building.

When deciding whether to install surveillance cameras in a residential building it is important to take into consideration if it is a means that is capable and necessary for the achievement of objectives and at the same time this means has to be properly combined with other means (closing of doors, bars etc.).

An important role plays also the character of the rooms that are supposed to be monitored. Monitoring of rooms such are cellar or garage usually causes no problems and it interferes with the private lives adequately. But monitoring of the entrance doors of the flats tells us substantially more about private lives of the inhabitants of the residential building. Therefore these areas can be monitored only in special cases and only with the consent of the inhabitants of the particular flats.