Follow-up: Security and Privacy of Surveillance Technologies in Public Places

Why this is important

Surveillance technologies are tools and systems that monitor people, places or objects. They include both physical and digital technologies, including CCTV (closed-circuit television) cameras, drones and phone and GPS (global positioning system) tracking systems. 

CCTV cameras are used in public spaces, such as streets, shopping centres, shops, banks, public transport and carparks, as a measure to prevent crime and a tool to detect and identify offenders. Many local councils manage CCTV surveillance systems in public spaces or around council-owned facilities for Victoria Police to use. 

Our 2018 report Security and Privacy of Surveillance Technologies in Public Places looked at whether councils keep secure the information they collect from these CCTV surveillance systems and whether they protect the privacy of individuals.

We found the councils we examined could not show that they are consistently meeting their commitments to the community to ensure they are protecting private information they collect through CCTV systems. Given recent advances in surveillance technology, including rising use of AI-enabled tools, it is important to understand how councils are managing the security and privacy of people in their community. 

What we plan to examine

We plan to examine how selected councils implemented our recommendations from Security and Privacy of Surveillance Technologies in Public Places (2018).

Who we plan to examine

City of Melbourne

East Gippsland Shire Council

Horsham Rural City Council

Hume City Council

Whitehorse City Council

Further information

This is a follow-up to our report Security and Privacy of Surveillance Technologies in Public Places (2018).

This is a limited assurance review.