computer help needed

[jillR]

i am thinking of fitting a web cam but know nothing about whats need or how to do it.

any advice would be welcome

[Antares_9]

Any decent webcam will do, just follow the instructions provided with it and BTW you will need to leave your computer turned on and broadband connected. That's a not dissimilar view to that from our widow, though the canal is a quite a bit narrower as we are in central London

[Brian]

As dave says, you need Broad Band connection, that image is looking at Riverside Flats, so might have a Wireless Connection there.

Im sure there are some laws with regards to looking at Public areas though ? Dont quote me on that.

[jillR]

i have realy good broadband here. were all wireless too so all the boats have it if they want. secure of course.

will have to look into legalities, any tips as to where to look ?

thanks peeps

[Guest Pugwash]

Hi Jill,

I'm totally new to this forum so i hope you don't mind me jumping in to help. Not sure of official posting protocols yet.

Anyway, as Brian said earlier there are some legal stipulations to placing a webcam in public and semi public places where the public (meaning people) may be on view and 'recognisable'. The need to warn people that they may be on camera does not arise if individuals are not identifiable from the webcam output. But where individuals are likely to be identifiable, for example where a webcam transmits a sufficiently high level of detail then you must comply with The Data Protection Act 1998 and the Data Protection Commissioner's Code of Practice on CCTV.

Webcams can be considered like CCTV and therefore to the extent that your webcam enables living individuals to be identified, you must comply with The Data Protection Act 1998 and the Data Protection Commissioner's Code of Practice on CCTV because filming is a form of processing personal data.

Basically this means putting up a warning notice informing the public of its use. But remember only if your webcam is of sufficiently high enough resolution for facial recognition.

Hope this help.

Mack

[jillR]

thanks mack

im still thinking about it but your post is realy usefull

i wont be able to have a cam on continuous stream, ive been told,

due to broad band use.

im learning bit by bit what it entails

jill

p.s. there is a definate lack of protocols here. i even get away with my dreadful spelling

[Guest]

Interesting information Mack. Question for you, if I was to wander into a busy street in Norwich and whip out my camcorder, which is full DV quality, and start filming, would I then be in breach of the DPA 1998 and DPCCP?

[Guest Pugwash]

Hi Plesbit,

No, you would not, unless you then were to publish or broadcast your video for public consumption.

If that were the case then strictly you would have to comply with the legislation before hand and let people know you were filming with an intention to publish - just like the BBC.

Mack

[Guest]

I don't have a You Tube account, but I assume that uploading them to that would count as publishing? It all sounds rather unenforcable. And to be honest, I have never seen the BBC asking for permission to use people's images when they've been filming.

Sorry - I don't mean to sound like I am having a go at you because I'm certainly not, I think it just all sounds a bit odd and not very well thought through by the power that be.

[Guest Pugwash]

Plesbit -

No offence taken mate :

Yep i totally agree - not very enforceable. But you know what happens to us law abiding folk don't you? One day a man in a black suit knocks at your door and starts asking awkward questions.

Mainly though, the regulations are there to police permanent camera installations and companies that publish for public consumption.

As for YouTube, they stipulate that;

In connection with User Submissions, you further agree that you will not submit material that is copyrighted, protected by trade secret or otherwise subject to third party proprietary rights, including privacy and publicity rights, unless you are the owner of such rights or have permission from their rightful owner to post the material and to grant YouTube all of the license rights granted herein.

In this case 'privacy' being the core element. So basically if you don't own or have permission to the content that you post - they've got you SHOULD a legal challenge arise. This is very unlikely unless you were infringing copyright or branding or passing something original off as your own. I doubt very much whether any member of the public is likely either in the case of someone with a DVcam in Norwich or a video posting on Youtube to actually make a fuss or mount a privacy/data protection challenge........

.......but you never know

Blimey - that's me done. Last time i give any free info on here - it's like the spanish inquistion

Mack

[jillR]

hi mack

its good to know how i stand before thinking of fitting a cam as i wouldent like to break the law

thanks very much for the time and trouble.

jill

[Guest]

Blimey - that's me done. Last time i give any free info on here - it's like the spanish inquistion

Don't stop now - you're doing so well!

First observation - that YouTube quote might as well be Greek for all it's going to mean to Joe Public. Second is more of a question (yet another) - do these regs apply to still images as well? That really would be interesting. Class action against Flickr / Imageshack / Photobucket / Webshots etc anyone?