Dundee council webcam ‘used for spying on people’

The webcam focuses on Dundee City Square, where the Desperate Dan statue is located. Picture: Ian Rutherford

The council-owned camera, which is on top of a building next to the City Square in Dundee, can be accessed through a link on the local authority’s website.

Users simply click on a button to gain control of the device for 60 seconds and move from a view of the Overgate Shopping Centre, all the way across to Caird Hall.

The user can also zoom out for a general perspective of the area and they have the ability to zoom incredibly close to a few windows.

While only one person can move the camera at one time, anyone else on the web page can watch the images.

Robert Schifreen, internet security expert at the University of Brighton stumbled across the camera a couple of weeks ago while using an iPad app and was appalled at people spying on one of the windows of a flat in the area.

He said: “There was a woman sat out on the ledge smoking as she obviously didn’t want to smoke inside and I don’t know if she knows people around the world are watching her.

“It was about 10 o’clock at night - I wouldn’t have thought she had a clue what was happening.”

Robert says he has complained to the Information Commissioner about the breaches of privacy, but claims he is yet to hear a response from them.

He said: “I think there’s an issue around how it’s being used and I would like somebody from the Information Commissioner to have a look at it.

“I think the council needs to take action.

“It needs to stop letting people take control of it, or set parameters so the camera can’t pan to people’s properties unless the police take control of it.”

A spokesman for the Information Commissioner said: “The council needs to make sure the camera can’t look into people’s private properties.

“What we do advise is for anyone who is concerned about this camera to contact the council.

“If they aren’t happy with the response then we will get involved.”