A serious incident with a camera in a women's toilet of a catering area was detected by the Commissioner for Personal Data Protection herself, Maria Christofidou, during her personal visit to the premises.
Speaking on the show "Alpha Summer", she said that "in the context of my own visit to a specific restaurant, we had noticed that there were cameras in the women's toilets". She clarified that the installation of cameras in such areas is prohibited.
This case is now under investigation by the Commissioner's Office, which will examine whether there are violations of the legislation on the protection of personal data and whether there are grounds for imposing sanctions.
Regarding the next actions for the specific premises, Ms. Christofidou avoided expanding, saying that "allow me not to comment further on what we will proceed with the investigation".
A campaign is launched in restaurants
Against the backdrop of this incident, the Commissioner announced a campaign of on-the-spot checks in catering establishments from September.
The checks will not only concern whether there are cameras in a premises, but also where they are placed, what exactly they record, what is the range of their shooting and what hours they operate. As Mrs. Christofidou explained, "there are conditions in the legislation for the places where the cameras are placed, the range of the image capture, the opening hours of the cameras", with the aim, as she said, of ensuring the protection of the privacy and personal data of citizens.
The Commissioner also clarified that it is not required in every case for someone who places a camera to obtain prior approval from her Office, however there are specific obligations and conditions that must be respected, while in cases where data processing involves an increased risk, an impact assessment may also be required.
Reference was also made to the cameras placed by the municipalities in public places. Ms. Christofidou explained that the legislation allows municipal authorities to use surveillance systems for specific purposes, such as the prevention of vandalism, fires and environmental hazards, but this does not mean that every camera installation is automatically legal.
It is recalled that recently the Personal Data Protection Authority issued an announcement on the occasion of the public debate on the installation of closed circuit video surveillance in parks and other public spaces by municipal authorities. As he clarified, the installation of such systems is allowed for security and civil protection purposes, such as the prevention of vandalism, fires and environmental risks, provided that the provisions of the GDPR and national legislation are observed. The Authority also stressed that the use of cameras must be necessary and proportionate, with recording being limited to what is absolutely necessary, while municipalities must proceed with a Data Protection Impact Assessment and submit it for prior consultation. As noted in the announcement, relevant assessments that have already been submitted by municipal authorities are under evaluation.
