(Dieser Artikel ist auch in deutscher Sprache verfügbar)

During Infolaw legal forum on 17 October, Margot Artner, a Viennese lawyer, expressed concerns regarding the existence of about 100 000 illegal monitoring systems with recording functions in Austria. The estimation was based on information obtained from vendors of monitoring software and installing technicians.

Artner has waited for seven months in order to obtain from the data protection commission the first permit for the operation of the video monitoring system. The conditions required by the commission include the deletion of records after 48h and the limitation of the access to the recordings to only qualified staff that would have to work in pairs.

The only previous permit had been given to Wiener Linien (Vienna's public transport system) just for a two-year test period and extended afterwards to another two years. The commission had given the permit in order to check whether such a system may help in preventing vandalism acts. The permit allows the company to record passengers and personnel and keep the recordings for 48 hours.

The company has been criticised as the investment for the system was about 3.7 million euros while the return might be only in the range of about 200000 euros/year by reducing vandalism.

Although such systems presently operate legally in police stations, banks, traffic monitoring, military facilities and in some individual companies that have alarm-based activated cameras, most of the systems with recording functions are operating illegally. A permit for all these systems is necessary from the data protection commission and they have to be input into the data processing registers irrespective of the number of cameras included in the system.

The operation without permit is penalised with 9 445 euros besides other additional costs related to re-apply for the permit and obtain the cease and desist orders. A permit is necessary even if cameras are installed only to identify robbers and the labour laws provisions must be observed in the working areas.

Legal experts say that Austria may have 100,000 illegal video monitors (20.10.2006)
http://www.heise.de/english/newsticker/news/79786