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Dashboard cameras recording from vehicles capture images of travel and other vehicles in public places. The background footage is likely to include people's personal information.
There are good reasons why a driver might want to have dash cam. They can be useful in collecting evidence when traffic accidents happen and to resolve insurance disputes. They can also be used to report bad and dangerous drivers. Our AskUs section answers the question: Can an employer install cameras in its taxis, buses and trucks?
The Privacy Act covers the collection, use, storage and disclosure of personal information. Personal information is defined in the Act as information about an "identifiable individual".
The Act gives us the basic principles by which we can make an assessment on the privacy implications of any emerging technology. You can find out more about the Act’s 13 information privacy principles here.
People need to be responsible in how they use the information that dash cams collect and to think carefully about posting footage online for everyone else to see.
People wanting to upload video taken by dash cam - and this also applies to CCTV and drone footage - is to consider carefully why you might need to do this. If there is a compelling reason, you also need to think about how to edit out or mask the number plates of other cars, or images of passers-by.
If you record examples of dangerous or bad driving then it is often better to give the footage to police rather than opting to share the footage publicly online.
Dash cams will also capture car number plates. There is a process where a person can access the ownership information of another car from Waka Kotahi - The NZ Transport Agency.
The process requires a person to make a request to Waka Kotahi for the name and address of a car owner. The agency then considers this against the criteria contained in the Official Information Act. It requires Waka Kotahi to weigh up the public interest in releasing the information sought against the privacy rights of the individual concerned.
Each case is determined on its own merits. This restricts the ability to access another car owner’s details.
