Pafos Live 8 April 2025
The cameras are placed to serve specific and legitimate purposes in moderation and without becoming big brother, says the Commissioner for Personal Data Protection, Irene Loizidou Nicolaides, in a statement. On the occasion of recent posts on social media and questions she often receives from Municipalities about the installation of cameras in public places, the Commissioner notes that the General Data Protection Regulation is clear.
"Municipalities can operate cameras in public places, where necessity and proportionality are presumed and after consultation with the Commissioner. Even before the General Data Protection Regulation came into force, I agreed to the operation of cameras in the Municipality of Ayia Napa, because a Police study documented that serious criminal offenses occur in these areas every year," she adds.
It notes that it is also a fact that, after many years of exhortation to the Union of Municipalities and the Ministry of the Interior, a provision was finally introduced in the Law on Municipalities, which grants Municipalities, under certain conditions, the power to place cameras in public places.
"Based on this context, I informed the Municipality of Paphos that cameras could operate in the Color Park during the evening hours, since other alternative measures it had taken, for the protection of the park, did not work," she adds.
Recently, the Nicosia Municipality submitted to its Office a multi-page impact assessment on the installation of cameras and the operation of various applications as part of its effort to create a "smart city".
"Some applications involve the processing of personal data, others do not. The impact assessment is being studied and I will respond to the Municipality in due course," she adds.
Also, the Commissioner mentions, a question was recently submitted to her Office regarding the installation of cameras in three areas of the Limassol Municipality, where vandalism had taken place.
"I was positive about the two sites and gave guidance for the impact assessment that the Municipality should prepare and submit to my Office for consultation. However, I expressed reservations about the placement of cameras in Agia Fylaxi Square, which is surrounded by houses and restaurants and entertainment centers. In another case, following reports about the installation of cameras on 'smart' poles in the Municipality of Paphos, I sent a letter to the Municipality, raised various questions and requested that the impact assessment provided for by the GDPR be submitted to my Office by 31/03/2025, for consultation. The Municipality has not responded to date," she notes.
The Commissioner says that she finds at least unfortunate the statements that imply that the General Data Protection Regulation and the Commissioner stand in the way of the installation of cameras.
"Municipalities must understand that cameras are placed to serve specific and legitimate purposes, in moderation and without becoming big brother. Therefore, at the consultation stage, my Office examines each case individually, based on its particular circumstances," she concludes.
