Taxi CCTV cameras could be illegal

The Data Protection Commissioner is looking into the decision to install surveillance cameras in taxis because the equipment could invade passenger privacy.

Data Protection Commissioner Joseph Ebejer said his office wanted to ensure the introduction of CCTV cameras in taxis were in line with certain safeguards included in the Data Protection Act.

Surveillance cameras and a remote tracking system are part of the reform of the taxi sector announced by the government last week.

Their introduction was a sore point with taxi drivers who, when the draft reform was published for consultation, had pointed out it might be an invasion of their clients' privacy.

Transport Minister Austin Gatt has defended the use of such equipment, saying this and other measures had been accepted by the association representing taxi drivers in the final agreement on the reform. The taxis will be equipped with closed-circuit TV cameras that would transmit footage to Transport Malta. The footage would only be accessible to the police in the event of a crime, Dr Gatt said.

But Mr Ebejer is worried about who would have access to the footage and how the images would be stored.

The office would look into the matter to "see that the proper parameters are respected. We want to know who will be viewing this footage and where it is going to be stored and for how long. CCTV footage is private information and data protection provisions prevail," he said.

Mr Ebejer said he was aware that similar surveillance cameras were installed in taxis in several countries but this did not mean it was automatically acceptable here because data protection laws varied in different countries.

Surveillance cameras in taxis in the US and the UK were introduced because of crimes against taxi drivers.

Transport Malta was asked to justify the introduction of the cameras but the questions remained unanswered at the time of writing.