It’s no surprise about the increase in surveillance throughout the years on this planet. Observation and control have always been major parts of the way the world operates and to keep everything in order. We are constantly being watched without our knowledge everyday by cameras we don’t pay attention to. Although many are uneasy with the idea of a stored recording containing them on the street or in the shop, people have come to terms with this observation technique and learned to live with someone over their shoulder. The main question remains of how accessible CCTV footage is and who can access it. Although there are a lot of worries surrounding the recording devices, there are also a lot of laws protecting you and others from accesses sing and viewing footage.

Video footage of yourself can be requested if you are in the video or if you were involved in an accident under the camera. If you don’t wish to have your face visible in footage that must be used, it is your right for them to hide your identity and blur your face. Many of the camera operators will keep footage for around 30 days and then get rid of them unless it’s needed for an investigation. Most CCTV footage is inaccessible to the public and especially if it contains criminal activity. These privacy laws protect others that wish not to an archived photo or video of them unless necessary. There is no central place where all this footage is stored, the recorded footage locally stores on camera system utility accessed.

Although, there are many ways to store this, a lot of CCTV owners store everything on local servers or the cloud. This is set as the norm for the storage and a lot of the footage is inaccessible to the government. They may hold a lot of power, but they need permission to gain even a homeowner’s footage. If the request was denied, they must get a warrant or obtain the footage voluntarily. This protects a lot of civilians that are worried about their own safety and privacy when dealing with the ownership of footage. With the continuing increase in CCTV across the world, it’s crucial to understand what protects you and where all the digital footage goes. There are nearly 1 million cameras in London tracking all the residents and keeping them in check. These cameras have been placed to give us safety and assurance, but a lot provide an unsettling feeling of a million eyes watching over you.