Summer is here and security is more important than ever. Keeping our home protected from burglars, but also protected from possible occupations, is the excuse for many homeowners to install a security camera. But in addition to individual homes, this security system It has also become popular in neighboring communitiess.
More and more blocks are choosing to install a surveillance system to control access to private and passage areas to improve security in the building. However, and related to this aspect, there is another one, which is access to security recordings and images. And many people are unaware that Not everyone can have access to them.
What kind of cameras are there?
Photo by Erik Mclean
The security cameras They are a very useful tool when it comes to protecting a home, but also businesses, facilities and community spaces. They offer an important feeling of security and peace of mind, as they make it possible to identify the person accessing a video-monitored area at all times.
In this regard, We have already seen the problems that can ariseif a security sticker is placed using the image of a company without authorization. We have also addressed the problem of peepholes and connected doorbells. But there is much more.
We know aspects such as that a security camera cannot cover public areas and private spaces, but what is not known is what is related to staff who can access the recordings from these security cameras and the images in real time.
In fact, not complying with what the Law indicates in this regard may result in a significant penalty to the person responsible for the installation. For this reason, and especially in the case of communities of owners, it is more than advisable to know which personnel may have access to these recordings so as to avoid problems with the law.
First of all, it is important to be clear that there are security cameras that They only allow you to see the image in real time of what is happening and they do not record. Along with these, there are others that also incorporate a hard disk system for storing images in which recordings of what happens are kept for a certain period of time.
In both cases, both those that only offer real-time images and those that record the data collected They are only accessible to authorized personnel.Only persons established by law may access and view such images, without this implying a violation of legal precepts.
Image by Andrea Piacquadio
In this sense, it could be established three groups of people which in principle can access recordings and images from security cameras.
On the one hand there is the security company staff when it is a contracted installation whose services depend on a central office. In this case, and when an alarm occurs, the authorized personnel of that central office can access the recording to verify the event that caused the alert to be triggered.
And in the case of a camera installed on a private property or a business, you will have access to the images obtained by the security camera. owner of said propertyThis access will be possible thanks to a user key that allows access from a computer or from a mobile application.
Along with these two groups, it must be taken into account that in large installations, with multiple security cameras, something that usually happens in companies, there is a group of people who make up the safety equipment who are authorized to view security recordings in the event of an incident.
Photo by Pixabay
Along with these three groups that we have just reviewed, there are also two other types of users who can access the recordings security or rather, they can request access to said recordings.
One of them is the one made up of the State Security Forces and Corpswho in the exercise of their functions are authorized to collect and request recordings and images from a security camera if they are necessary to clarify a criminal act. In order to request said recording, the relevant complaint will be necessary.
Furthermore, in the case of a person who has been affected for a criminal act, the person also has the right to request the images recorded by security cameras as long as the person appears in the recording and can be used as evidence in a judicial proceeding.
Time limits for saving images
In this regard and in relation to images, the video surveillance law and according to article 6 of Directive 1/2006, it is established that security recordings They can only be stored for one month (30 days) from the date the recording was made. This period may only be proven if the recordings are necessary in a judicial procedure with a police investigation and provided that the authorities so require. After the general 30-day period, the recordings must be deleted from any file or medium on which they may be stored.
This is because the General Data Protection Regulation and, in general, Spanish regulations and law actively protect the right to honor and image of people. Only the commission of a crime can take precedence over these two rights.
Who has access in a community of neighbors
In the case of a community of owners that has installed a security camera system, as we have already seen, a person who is the victim of a crime may request prior complaint access to the viewing of such images, but always protecting the privacy of the people who may appear in the recording.
Furthermore, in the case of a community of owners, it will be the one in charge of designate a person who has permits to access the recordings from these cameras. This could be a doorman, the president of the community of neighbours, the administrator… Neighbors cannot have access to these security images under no circumstances. Only those who appear in these images or are victims of a criminal act may request to view them.
Cover photo | Lukasz Klimkiewicz