Letters | Viral video of Hong Kong star Andy Hui should prompt privacy probe into taxi dashcams
- The privacy commissioner’s office should consider initiating a review of the 8,000 taxis that have already had cameras installed
- Taxi passengers have a 45 per cent chance of being unknowingly recorded on video and perhaps also on audio
He also revealed that some 8,000 out of a total of some 18,000 taxis on the road have such devices installed on their individual initiatives. This means passengers have a 45 per cent chance of being unknowingly recorded on video and perhaps also on audio while on board a taxi. The recent incident of intrusion of privacy is merely the tip of the iceberg.
To ascertain the legitimacy of cameras in taxis under the Personal Data (Privacy) Ordinance, we need to first consider whether video and audio recording is a fair means of collecting personal data in the circumstances.
Is it disproportionate to sacrifice the privacy of all passengers to regulate the behaviour of a minority of taxi drivers? Are there alternative and less privacy-intrusive means of achieving the same objective?
Different people will have different views, and a determination by the privacy authority will help to remove any uncertainty for the benefit of all parties.