A McDonald's restaurant is filming patrons on a security camera when they go to the bathroom - an increasingly common practice that is being investigated by the Privacy Commissioner.
Though McDonald's says it has received no complaints about the camera in its Papakura outlet, Privacy Commission adviser Cathy Henry said the office was investigating a complaint about closed-circuit television (CCTV) in another toilet this year.
A sign in the McDonald's men's room entreats patrons to "smile!" for the camera. "This camera is not here to invade your privacy, it's here to stop vandalism." The camera, inside a dark dome on the ceiling, is visible to people approaching the urinal and standing inside the cubicle, but not when seated. The company said the camera was fixed, faced the mirror over the hand basin, and wasn't watching people do their business. McDonald's spokesman Simon Kenny said it was installed in 2010 after a spate of misbehaviour. "Since they put that in, there has been zero vandalism."
The Privacy Commission offers guidelines for companies who use or want to use CCTV. Companies should let people know where cameras operated, and how to contact the camera operator. "Anyone should be able to ask to see that policy," the guidelines say.
Anybody can ask to access their personal information, and generally companies holding that information, including CCTV footage, must make it available. But the company had to protect the privacy of others caught on camera.
