Installing a security chamber at home or in trade is an increasingly attractive option. The Price of security systems makes them affordable, but it is also easy to control them from the mobile and have live alert systems. It is a good way to win in security and are a deterrent element against possible crimes. The problem is that it is not as simple as placing a camera where we want and start monitoring: the Data Protection Law comes into play.
It is something that happens in Spain, but also in Mexico, and in recent days the controversy has exploded: if you put surveillance cameras, you will face a millionaire fine. The stir that has been mounted that the government itself has come out to clarify the issue is such.
The controversy. A few days ago, a popular Tiktoker hung a video in which he talked about the situation. “Did you know that you can get into a legal problem with the cameras you have in your business or at home?” Thus begins the video that, with a pejorative tone, accuses the government of not acting to guarantee the security of the citizen. Subsequently, already throughout the video, it clarifies the scenario in which these fines can be applied: if the cameras record public spaces or you as owner spread the images.
The seed, however, was already planted. Media and users used this video to affirm that Mexico could report the owners of the surveillance cameras, causing the payment of millionaire fines: up to 18 million pesos. Some of these media clarified the fact of the dissemination of the images or the orientation of the cameras, but others do not.
The answer. The stir has been tremendous, so much that since different institutional bodies they have rushed to stop the issue. They have done it from two ways: one, through INAI, or National Institute of Transparency, access to information and protection of personal data. In a video, they comment that they have received several calls asking for information about it, commenting on the following:
“Regulated subjects are those responsible to use personal data for dissemination or commercial prospecting purposes. If a person has cameras at home and has no purpose, but are used for personal treatment, the INAI will not enter any sanction. ”
The second, during an information section from the Hall of the Treasury of the National Palace in which, the Government denied the information. “The Federal Law for the Protection of Personal Data in possession of individuals applies only in individual or private individuals that carry out the processing of personal data,” they say. Basically, the same as INAI.
The purchase guide. In fact, a few months ago it was the government itself that published through a document of the Federal Attorney General’s Office a chamber purchase guide for both internal and external use. In this study, several models analyze, pointing out their pros and cons in a complete purchase guide that would not make much sense if they were prohibited.
The keys. But at the end of the document is the key. In a section called “Is the use of security cameras in Mexico legal?” They confirm that. There are nuances: if it is inside a house or points towards private property, there is no problem, but they do record from the house outside, there are certain rules and restrictions to protect the privacy of others. What must be taken into account, according to the Federal Law for the Protection of Personal Data in possession of individuals, is:
- The protection of goods and facilities, as well as the prevention and detection of crimes must aim.
- Images of people should not be captured without their consent, especially in public areas, unless they are police bodies.
When can you face a fine. In the document, the LFPDPPP clarifies that “it is legal to install surveillance cameras inside a property, as long as the rights to privacy and the personal data of the people are not violated.”
On the outdoor cameras, it establishes that “if you plan to install security cameras, we recommend you notify your neighbors, either putting a sign where you notify the existence of the OA camera through a meeting. This guarantees that they will be aware that they are being monitored and can take measures to protect their privacy. ” However, it is true that there are establishments in which it is illegal to place cameras:
- Dressing rooms, bathrooms and private business rooms.
- Schools
- Hospitals
- Iglesias.
In addition, in these last three, the use is restricted if there is no authorization from the authorities. Therefore, it is legal to have a security camera in Mexico if you do not spread the recordings and if, pointing to common areas, it is notified in advance with a poster or a meeting with the people likely to be recorded.
Image | EUFY
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