As one of Scotland’s oldest and most popular tourist attractions, the lenses of Edinburgh’s famous Camera Obscura have long provided a window on the life of the capital’s citizens from its prominent position on Castle Hill.
But the adoption of new high-definition cameras on the roof of the Victorian tower overlooking the city centre – which are so powerful that they allow visitors to read unsuspecting people’s text messages – has landed the attraction in the middle of a spying row.
Officials from the UK’s privacy watchdog visited the Camera Obscura on 27 July, amid claims that the attraction may have broken the law by encouraging tourists to use the joystick-operated cameras to snoop on people on the streets below – or even relaxing in their hotel rooms.
The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) said its team had made “a series of recommendations” to the attraction’s owners, which included advising staff to warn visitors that they must respect people’s privacy. Signs reading “Spy on the city” will also be changed to “Zoom in on the city”.
However, an ICO spokesman said concerns that the business may have breached the Data Protection Act proved to be unfounded, as the footage taken by the cameras had not been “recorded, stored or processed”. A follow-up visit would be arranged to ensure that the watchdog’s advice was being followed, he added.
The distinctive Camera Obscura, which first opened in 1853 and occupies a prominent place on the Edinburgh skyline, is known for its Victorian rooftop chamber where visitors can view live moving images of the capital projected onto a viewing table through a giant periscope.
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Andrew Johnson, general manager of the Camera Obscura, said: “Following a visit from the Information Commissioner’s Office on Monday, we have already made the majority of changes recommended by the inspectors, which includes changes to our signage and website. We are also working to develop a programme of ‘privacy masks’ which will block out specific windows, and hope to have this service up and running in the next few days.
“We have good relations with all our neighbours and, if any [local] residents or businesses have further concerns or would like to discuss the changes we have made, we will happily meet with them to discuss these in detail.”
