Watchdog urges ban on taxi surveillance

On Wednesday July 25, Information Commissioner Christopher Graham condemned Southampton’s use of audio recorders in licensed taxi cabs as “disproportionate,” warning that the council had “gone too far” by requiring the recordings.

“We recognize the council’s desire to ensure the safety of passengers and drivers, but this has to be balanced against the degree of privacy that most people would reasonably expect in the back of a taxi cab,” Graham said.

The practice of audio surveillance in cabs in Southampton, a city southwest of London, which came into effect in August 2009, requires all taxis and private-hire vehicles to install CCTV equipment in order to constantly record images and the conversations of passengers and drivers.

The Information watchdog also stressed that the Oxford City Council has suspended its plans for a similar surveillance policy after his warning.

Earlier on July 2, the news channel RT reported that the UK parliament is expected to adopt the controversial Communications Data Bill, which is aimed to snoop into British citizens’ affairs by allowing the Tory-led government to spy on what people write and post online.

However, activists have criticized the bill for building a totalitarian online regime in the UK by making internet service providers and phone companies install “black boxes,” which monitor emails, social networking activity and calls, and store data for a year.

SSM/SS/HE

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