Video surveillance of employees vs. right to privacy - a delicate balance - November 13, 2014

An employee of the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) complained on behalf of colleagues that the CBSA was using video monitoring to collect personal information for the purpose of monitoring employee conduct and performance, beyond the original safety and security purposes. The complainant also alleged insufficient signage. The OPC found the signage issue was resolved early in the investigation as the CBSA added more signs. Regarding the use of video for monitoring conduct and performance, the CBSA updated its policy to clarify that video technology would not be used for performance monitoring. The OPC accepted the CBSA's rationale for using video recordings to investigate serious misconduct, finding it met the standard for collection under section 4 of the Privacy Act. However, the resolution was conditional on the CBSA providing updated guidelines for implementing its policy.