If you have ever thought about getting a CCTV system installed but not sure who will have access to your private footage well this bit of information might stun you. The fact is that, unless you have a specific contract that stipulates otherwise, the footage belongs to the owner of the system. If you hire the services of a security company, they are the ones that own the footage both private and public. It is sad to say that you are not the one that owns the private ad public footage of your home, family and business. The problem that arise with this situation is that not everyone that works with these companies will be honest people and not all will have strong morals.

By law the owner of the CCTV system is also the owner of the footage. To ensure you are the owner of your camera’s footage you need to be the owner of the CCTV system itself. There are a lot of advantages to hiring a security company, but you might want to do extensive research into the background and reputation of the company you are interested in collaborating with. The use of a security company will be less of a hassle, but it comes with much more and sever problems than owning your own system.

Owning a CCTV system ensures that the footage of you private and public life that is captured, will belong to you. You will have to purchase the system and, in some cases, pay for it to be installed. With a security company your footage is monitored twenty-four hours a day. When you own your own system all the responsibility lies on your shoulder. You are responsible for the footage or lack thereof for some reason it is required as evidence in a criminal case.

The rules are different for public entities. In some cases, depending on the contract signed by the government, the footage will and can be accessed by the public but in some cases, it is up to the security firm. In the case where it is up to the security firm you might not be allowed access to certain footage. The courts in this case have no authority to order these firms to release the footage. There are some rare cases where the courts can order a security firm to release footage captured. In these instances, the footage would have to be of a publicly owned area and the firm will be allowed to edit the footage.

This is the law and as unfair as it seems, this is the way it is for most if not all countries worldwide. It does open the gates to some very scrupulous activities, but you need to be intelligent in the things you do. You need to be knowledgeable about the laws in your country concerning these systems. You also need to be aware of the place you go and their policy about CCTV systems. You may lose a law suite because the courts have no authority to order the release of certain CCTV footage.

For more information please visit www.axlesys.com