Surveillance culture erodes personal privacy

The increasing amount of personal information held by various organisations is impacting the privacy of UK citizens, according to a report from the Royal Academy of Engineering.

This is due to rapidly increasing CCTV coverage and collection and retention of personal data, the report said.

The Dilemmas of Privacy and Surveillance report acknowledges the benefits of these technologies but also raises issues – such as privacy and misuse of data - that need to be considered.

The report says that due to the likelihood of databases and storage of camera footage being connected to the internet there is a risk of the information and CCTV footage falling into the wrong hands.

Leaks of sensitive personal information - such as the addresses of employees - is one of these concerns.

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Regarding the security of information, Professor Nigel Gilbert, author of the report, said: "No technology is 100 per cent perfect."

The report recommends systems for storing and processing personal information should be designed to be as simple as possible, as over-complicated systems often lead to or conceal risks.

The Academy said systems should undergo threat analysis to identify potential issues and develop strategies for dealing with them.

It said the powers of the Information Commissioner should be extended and that significant penalties "including custodial sentences" should be imposed on those who misuse personal data.