Privacy warning over school CCTV

FIVE schools have been issued with a formal warning from France's privacy watchdog, CNIL, over their "excessive" use of videosurveillance.

The group hopes the ruling will provide new guidance to other schools on the appropriate use of CCTV recording in the education system.

The schools, which have not been named, were found to have placed children and staff under "permanent surveillance", with cameras in communal areas including the playground. CNIL said this infringed their rights to privacy.

Schools are free to install cameras around perimeter fences and walls, but cameras inside the grounds are more closely regulated.

CNIL says only "exceptional circumstances" would justify a large number of cameras inside, such as schools that were recognised by the préfecture as being particularly dangerous. These exceptions would be granted on a case-by-case basis.

The body said there were "less intrusive" ways of protecting children and staff, and that "school staff should be the first means of looking after pupils' safety".

In some of the cases examined by CNIL, parents and staff were not made fully aware of the extent of the videosurveillance.

CNIL head of enforcement Thomas Dautieu told Le Parisien: "You can't tell children to be careful about disclosing personal information online if you are filming them permanently while they are in school.

"The headteachers had no bad intentions when they installed the cameras. They just hadn't considered whether they really needed them. They need to justify that there is a real danger to people's safety and security.

"If we receive similar complaints [relating to other schools], we will enforce the same decision."