Councils and police must 'weigh CCTV firms' human rights records'

Councils and police should consider CCTV firms' human rights records before purchasing, the surveillance camera watchdog has said.

Professor Fraser Sampson's call has been backed by Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee, Tom Tugendhat MP.

The committee has previously called for a ban on Chinese camera tech it says was used in Uyghur internment camps.

But there are doubts the government will add the proposed ethical rule to the CCTV code.

An update to the Surveillance Camera Code of Practice is expected soon - the first update in eight years.

It will set out the rules which police and local authorities in England and Wales are expected to follow when using surveillance cameras.

Professor Sampson says the update must require public bodies to think about the ethics of the companies that supply camera technology.

He told the BBC, that at the moment "it is possible to buy camera systems and avert one's eyes from the kind of surveillance operator practices that have been clearly condemned by the Commons foreign affairs committee.

"Looking the other way and simply focusing on the price ignores the ethical cost."

He said "an ethical and socially responsible approach" was needed "where surveillance systems are being bought with public money".

Professor Sampson said it was reasonable to expect suppliers of surveillance tech to behave ethically: "We are exhorting companies to set net-zero carbon targets - is it too much to ask them to set net-zero human rights abuse targets":[]}