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The municipality of Rotterdam uses camera cars to check whether residents comply with the corona measures. In April, the Dutch Data Protection Authority asked questions about this and the cars were stopped for a while, but now they are driving again.
According to the NRC two camera cars were soon temporarily removed from service after they were put into use in April, because the Dutch Data Protection Authority had asked questions about possible privacy issues. The cars are now driving again, but according to the regulator, the question remains whether privacy is guaranteed.
The Dutch Data Protection Authority did not know that the cars were driving again, a spokesperson tells NRC that ‘it has been expressly assured that this has stopped’. If it turns out that privacy is at stake, the AP will act according to the spokesperson and the next steps will be considered.
Rotterdam uses two camera cars that were meant to be used in the Eurovision Song Contest. That event has been canceled. The cars are equipped with 360-degree cameras that are viewed live from an emergency room, under the supervision of the police.
The municipality started using the cars on April 16, after a decision by the mayor, which involved the police and the City Management. The cars were taken off the street the next day, college spokesmen told NRC. The legal rules for the use of the cars were only established after 24 April. Since then, the cars have started driving daily again.
According to the Dutch Data Protection Authority, municipalities may only use cameras if ‘less extensive means’ do not help to maintain public order. The privacy risks must also be determined in advance with a Data Protection Impact Assessment. According to NRC, this did not happen in Rotterdam, but the municipality and the police would be working on it. The municipality states that the deployment is justified because of the emergency ordinance that applies due to the corona crisis.
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