Taxi Driver Online

Oxford taxi conversations to be recorded, council rules

Campaigners have called Oxford City Council's decision to record all conversations in taxis "a staggering invasion of privacy".

By April 2015 it will be mandatory for all of the city's 600 plus cabs to have cameras fitted to record passengers.

The council said the cameras would run continuously, but only view footage relating to police matters would be reviewed.

Big Brother Watch said it was "a total disregard for civil liberties".

Video and audio

The civil liberties campaign group intends to complain to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) over the scheme, which includes both black cabs and private-hire vehicles.

An ICO spokeswoman said the plans were "highly intrusive and unlikely to be justified".

She added: "Licensing authorities must take account of people's right to privacy when deciding whether to impose CCTV as a licence condition for taxi drivers."

A council spokeswoman said the "video and audio would run all the time within the vehicle".

She said police would only locate footage, stored on a CCTV hard drive for 28 days, if it was needed for a police investigation.

She added: "The risk of intrusion into private conversations has to be balanced against the interests of public safety, both of passengers and drivers."

Big Brother Watch director Nick Pickles said: "Given that one rail route to Witney [David Cameron's constituency] is through Oxford, we'll be letting the prime minister know that his staff might want to avoid using Oxford cabs."

The necessary equipment must be installed by taxi drivers licensed for the first time by 6 April 2012. A panic button must also be fitted.

Cabs already registered will have until April 2015 to get the kit fitted, the council said.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-oxfordshire-15720998

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Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.
George Carlin

Where is the panic button to be connected? The local councillors homes would be a good start. Don't get me wrong in theory this is a good idea given a choice

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Note to self: Just because it pops into my head does NOT mean it should come out of my mouth!!

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We must be stupid.

CC

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Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.
George Carlin

Think the BBC have got that quote slightly wrong, or have attributed it to the wrong person/group.

In this Daily Mail article http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... -cabs.html the Information Commissioner gives a far more accurate assessment of the law.

A spokeswoman for the Information Commissioner's Office said it is not normally justified to use CCTV to record conversations between members of the public as 'it is highly intrusive'.

But she added that council applications to install cameras in cabs are likely to be acceptable because of the number of crimes being committed in taxis.

An ICO spokeswoman said: ‘Licensing authorities must take account of people's right to privacy when deciding whether to impose CCTV as a licence condition for taxi drivers.

‘As well as assessing the impact on privacy, we have accepted they [councils] can take into account factors such as the likelihood of crimes being committed against drivers and passengers; the vulnerable one-to-one situation; the fact that taxis are travelling all over the area at different times of day; and CCTV can protect both the driver and passengers.’

Yet another myth dispelled that the local liars down here can't repeat.

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IDFIMH

let me say this to Big Brother Watch who said it was "a total disregard for civil liberties". what about the drivers Liberties, to work free of fear and attakt. as far as i am consirened it would apper that taxi drivers are Guilty until proved innocence i thought it was the other way round.

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C. Oakes


The Hackney Association Ltd
bbha@btinternet.com

I think you are right Charles.

CC

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Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.
George Carlin

How much would hack off the Council if you fitted a "white noise" speaker immediately adjacent to the microphone?
You could wire a stop button to it if you considered a problem existed.
In the same way an electro-magnetic "flap" could be mounted over a camera lens. The same button could remove the flap.
Just thinking laterally.

My vehicle conditions say Cab locking must be fitted and working. I do of course comply - it's fitted and working and turned off because I don't like locking people in.
More lateral thinking.

It will take some real thinking about this unwarranted cost - anyone think of something?

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Chris The Fish

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gdlyi5mc ... re=related

If we are it has to be our choice to be so

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Note to self: Just because it pops into my head does NOT mean it should come out of my mouth!!

Yes I agree, I don't like being told we must have it.....but we must have the right to have it.

CC

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Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.
George Carlin

And I am with you both on that CC and Toots.

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Chris The Fish

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gdlyi5mc ... re=related

I would agree to a point, but it become the point that the police do not take us seriously about crims against drivers, if we got half of the publicty about members of the public before the courts for what they do to all our members. other then what the few drivers in the trade who at the end of the day as been given a licens by councils not us.

Maybe it time to save ourself were other just play with words.

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C. Oakes


The Hackney Association Ltd
bbha@btinternet.com

I'm obviously not fully up to date with this subject because I didn't know we couldn't have it. We can have it here and it doesn't have to be one of those expensive ones either

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Note to self: Just because it pops into my head does NOT mean it should come out of my mouth!!

The Data Protection Code of Practise 2008 states:

CCTV must not be used to record conversations between members of the public as this is highly intrusive and unlikely to be justified. You should choose a system without this facility if possible.

If your system comes equipped with a sound recording facility then you should turn this off or disable it in some other way.

There are limited circumstances in which audio recording may be justified, subject to sufficient safeguards. These could include:

Audio based alert systems (such as those triggered by changes in noise patterns such as sudden shouting). Conversations must not be recorded, and operators should not listen in.

Two-way audio feeds from ‘help points’ covered by CCTV cameras, where these are activated by the person requiring assistance.

Conversations between staff and particular individuals where a reliable record is needed of what was said, such as in the charging area of a police custody suite6.

Where recording is triggered due to a specific threat, e.g. a ‘panic button’ in a taxi cab. In the limited circumstances where audio recording is justified, signs must make it very clear that audio recording is being or may be carried out.

If drivers could buy a car £1000 cheaper without an airbag, many would.

If they could buy a car £500 cheaper without ABS, many would.

My point is that allowing drivers the choice is a very good sound bite, and many many times is the right thing, but not always, sometimes councils need to take a lead and do what's best for drivers, even though those drivers aren't happy bunnies about it.

I must have read a million comments/words about compulsory CCTV over the last few years, but have never seen a comment from someone regretting installing it. Other than the scum drivers caught out doing what they shouldn't be.

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IDFIMH

So you can see why a council might choose to limit cab numbers.......sometimes they need to take a lead.....even though some drivers may not be happy bunnies?

You've seen the light my son.

CC

_________________
Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.
George Carlin