CCTV (ANPR) systems used to track anti-war protesters

The reporter claims every journey we make is stored for 2 years, but wikipedia says it is held for 5 years. Either way, traffic number data is covered by the Data Protection act, although as the report makes clear there hase been no monitoring of that.

"Vehicle movements are stored for 5 years in the National ANPR Data Centre to be analyzed for intelligence and to be used as evidence."
 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Automatic_number_plate_recognition#United_Kingdom

About three years ago I found one of these systems conveniently located, so I used it as a 'demonstration system' to show activists how to dismantle it. Unfortunately one of the two people I showed turned out to be a police informer. Before I realised that, I chanced upon that particular system being dismantled by police officers presumably looking for evidence of tampering.

The fact they are adding non-specialist council CCTV cameras to this system will vastly increase it. Currently, keeping to backroads helps keeps you off the system, but not with this expansion.

WHO'S WATCHING YOU?
Monday, 25 May, 2009, BBC Two, 2100 BST

The BBC has learned a national network of cameras monitoring Britain's roads will be in place within months. A national network of cameras and computers automatically logging car number plates will be in place within months, the BBC has learned. Thousands of Automatic Number Plate Recognition cameras are already operating on Britain's roads.
Police forces across England, Wales and Scotland will soon be able to share the information on one central computer. Officers say it is a useful tool in fighting crime, but critics say the network is secretive and unregulated. Kent's Chief Constable, Michael Fuller, commented: "We've seen an increase of some 40% of arrests since we've been using this technology. "I'm very confident that we're using it properly and responsibly, and that innocent people have nothing to fear from the way we use it."

A number of local councils are signing up their Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) systems to the ANPR network. As long as the cameras are technically good enough, they can be adapted to take the software. In towns such as Bradford, Portsmouth and Luton that means greater coverage for the police and more journeys captured and recorded. John Dean, who is co-ordinating the ANPR network for the Association of Chief Police Officers, said: "It's the finest intelligence-led policing tool we've got. "It covers so many different areas from crime reduction, crime detection to road safety and everything in between."

Marked car

But not everyone thinks it is such a good thing. A 'marker' on John Catt's car led to him being stopped by anti terror police.
John Catt found himself on the wrong side of the ANPR system. He regularly attends anti-war demonstrations outside a factory in Brighton, his home town. It was at one of these protests that Sussex police put a "marker" on his car. That meant he was added to a "hotlist".

This is a system meant for criminals but John Catt has not been convicted of anything and on a trip to London, the pensioner found himself pulled over by an anti-terror unit. "I was threatened under the Terrorist Act. I had to answer every question they put to me, and if there were any questions I would refuse to answer, I would be arrested. I thought to myself, what kind of world are we living in?" Sussex police would not talk about the case.
The police say they do not know how many cameras there are in total, and they say that for operational reasons they will not say where the fixed cameras are positioned.

'Limited resources'
Information Commissioner Richard Thomas, whose job it is to protect personal data, has concerns about the lack of regulation. He said: "There's very little monitoring. I mean, my office has very limited powers. "We have very limited resources. We are not actively monitoring that area. You're right to ask the question. No one's checking it at the moment"

These have also been used for animal rights campaigners.

This isn't on, and scares me to think most people dont realise this is happening.

 http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/whos_watching_you/8064333.stm

What do we have to do to stop this?

"CCTV camera destroyed within five days

Published Date: 20 March 2009
By Claire Lewis
Crime reporter
A CCTV camera installed in a Barnsley park was destroyed within five days of it being put up.
The camera was placed in Ardsley Park following complaints from local residents about anti-social behaviour in the park and criminal damage to the pavilion.

It was erected on Thursday March 5 - but by Tuesday March 10 it was damaged beyond repair."


 http://www.sheffieldtelegraph.co.uk/news2/CCTV-camera-destroyed-within-five.5092534.jp

The police justify this partly as an anti-terrorist measure. However, this was up and running on the M6 when the gas-container bombers headed up to Glasgow airport and it failed to catch them. Terrorists tend not to use known vehicles, so this is solely a social control measure.

@ Danny

"Either way, traffic number data is covered by the Data Protection act"

Lots ANPR number plate / time /date / location data is specifically exempted from even the (weak) protection offered by the Data Protection Act 1998.

Back in July 2007, shortly after taking up her new job as Home Secretary, Jacqui Smith signed a Ministerial Certificate, specifically exempting all of the London Congestion Charge and London Low Emission Zone ANPR data from the Data Protection Act, so that it couuld be handed over "in breal time,in bulk" to a Metropolitan Police Service secret database.

Of course it is right that the Police should have access to this data for specific,narrowly targeted investigations of serious crime or terrorism etc., but by moving it out sight of even the weak Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act and Data Protection Act audit trails, the suspicion must be that they are also now snooping on innocent people like political activists.

See Spy Blog:

Home Secretary Jacqui Smith cripples the Data Protection Act regarding the London Congestion Charge ANPR Mass Surveillance scheme

I'll bow to your obviously greater knowledge, like I said I haven't touched this since 2006. I was going to quote the ICO page that gave me my false impression, but their website is down.

The Ministerial Exemption Order only exempts the Congestion and Automatic Number Plate Recognition from Data Protection Act constraints. While the Order exists the processing is exempt. It does not exempt the systems from DPA compliance.

Looking up the certificate you find:

"This Certificate relates to the processing of the images taken by the cameras, and personal data derived from the images, including vehicle registration mark, date, time, place and camera location." The exemption applies to "the processing of the camera data by police officers and support staff assigned to National Security Units in connection with the performance of the statutory and common law functions of police officers assigned to National Security Units insofar as they relate to the safeguarding of national security".


So, unless the specific data subject is subject to a matter of national security, the exemption is not unchallengeable. This is also included on the certificate: "The camera data shall only be processed for the purpose of processing for matters relating to safeguarding national security, it shall not be used for general policing purposes," so its not appropriate for tracking animal rights activists, peace campaigners, anticapitalists or little old ladies with friends from the former soviet bloc countries.

the amount of time money spying on people trying to right the wrongs goverments do causing wars which incites terrorism..prottesters are people who get together to try to make goverments learn by the mistakes they make the public put them in power /but once the party get in .the public get shut out with no say /the mp.s abues the situation wate our money /feather thier nests robbing taxpayers of hard earnt cash .we get together to make a stand /the only way we can .then were terrorist ..for every finger they piont at us there is 3 more pointing back at them/so now they spy so what footpaths were here before roads /piont the cameras in the commons at big time crooks /not the ones heiping fight for the poor peter ambler derby .i dont give a damm class me as what you want .