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A new Vancouver Convention Centre camera-based people counting system could be used for surveillance, B.C.’s Office of the Privacy and Information Commissioner suggests.
Photo: Canada Place/Shutterstock [/caption]
A new Vancouver Convention Centre camera-based people counting system could be used for surveillance, B.C.’s Office of the Privacy and Information Commissioner suggests.
The centre’s general manager said it will adhere to federal and provincial privacy guidelines. But the system could be open to future surveillance uses due to the way an equipment request is worded, according to the commissioner’s office.
The centre is run by BC Pavilion Corporation (PavCo), which also operates BC Place stadium.
A PavCo invitation to companies to provide people-counting services said, “Equipment being utilized is not restricted to the software chosen for installation and is adaptable to future needs as technology evolves.”
Invitation to Present # 101... by Emma Crawford Hampel, BIV.com on Scribd
And that raises some flags for the commissioner’s office, which had not heard of the proposal until advised of it by Glacier Media.
“If the software or equipment were to add on features that would enable the system to identify individuals, like facial recognition, then obviously that would be entirely different, and provincial privacy legislation would certainly apply,” said commissioner’s office director of policy Caitlin Lemiski.
If the system is just used for people-counting, B.C.’s Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FIPPA) and Personal Information Protection Act wouldn’t apply, Lemiski said.
“Under FIPPA, PavCo wouldn’t even be required to notify individuals that there is software that is counting them,” Lemiski said.
The centre’s two sites “can host multiple, simultaneous events as well as large single events with upwards of 15,000 delegates,” the invitation to present proposals said.
Currently, the centre uses guards with clickers to record event attendance.
The invitation said the would not be used for “security or life-safety purposes.”
Centre general manager Craig Lehto said the planning is in the early stages of determining what technology is available.
“Our goal with this project is to more accurately determine occupancy levels for events taking place in the facility,” Lehto said. “This is important for several reasons, including monitoring occupancy levels and optimizing staffing requirements.”
Lehto said maintaining the privacy of personal information at the convention centre would remain a top priority.
“If we choose to move forward with people-counting technology, we will ensure that it adheres to all federal and provincial regulations, including B.C.’s Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act.”
BC Place does not currently use a people-counting system similar to that being contemplated for the convention centre, said stadium communications manager Duncan Blomfield. To determine occupancy, he said, BC Place uses a combination of ticket-scanning for patrons and a scan access control system and a log book for contractors.
