Half-way through his two-year appointment as Commissioner, Professor Fraser Sampson will highlight four things from the past 12 months and their relevance to the future of biometric surveillance.
Pointing out why biometric surveillance is not just data protection, Professor Sampson will say if people believe that they’re being watched or having their conversations eavesdropped upon by the state and therefore decide not to speak, not to protest, not to meet up in public – that effect on their fundamental human rights is profound but is nothing to do with GDPR and he will ask organisations how far their CCTV policies and practices assume that everything that matters is covered by data protection compliance.
He will emphasise how legitimate and accountable biometric surveillance also involves what’s acceptable to us as citizens and communities. He will point out that most public bodies have ethics committees, with the Policing Minister asking the House of Lords Justice Committee on 12 January “aren’t we the national ethics committee?”
Professor Sampson will also highlight how the ‘surveillance relationship with the citizen’ is changing, with the police and other public services becoming increasingly dependent on the product of citizen-generated images from a whole range of devices.
The conference is being organised by the National Police Chief’s Council (NPCC), and all partners within the National Capabilities working group will be present. All details of the event, as well as the agenda for both days, can be found here: National CCTV Conference 2022 (swoogo.com)