Are there privacy issues around using dash cams?

Yes, there are. Dashboard cameras capture images of travel and vehicles in public places. They do not usually capture clear images of other drivers by which they can be readily identified. Dash cams will capture car number plates and other ‘background footage’. This background footage is likely to be made up in part of some personal information and may be covered by the Privacy Act.

Our advice to people wanting to collect and 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. There are good reasons why a driver might want to use a 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.

But 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. If you see examples of dangerous or bad driving, uploading the footage to YouTube may not the best way of drawing attention to it. A more effective option might be to give the footage to Police.

The Privacy Act applies in some circumstances but not others. If the dash cam is for your personal use, you are free to use it, so long as you don’t collect or use the footage in a way that could be regarded as “highly offensive”(external link).

If you’re using a dash cam in your business or other non-personal capacity(external link), you will need to comply with the Privacy Act.  You may need to think about how to edit out or mask the number plates of other cars, or images of drivers or passers-by before using or posting footage. Remember that if you collect personal information about other people, they have the right to request their information from you (privacy principle 6).