EU Data Protection Rules May Apply To Home Surveillance Cameras

On 11 December 2014, the Court of Justice of the European Union (the "ECJ") handed down a judgment on a reference for a preliminary ruling from the Supreme Administrative Court of the Czech Republic in the case of Frantiaek Rynea v. Úřad pro ochranu osobních údajů (Case C-212/13). The ECJ refused to exempt surveillance cameras in a private home from data protection rules.

The facts of the case are as follows. Mr Rynea and his family had for several years been subjected to attacks by unknown persons. To protect his home and identify the perpetrators, Mr Rynea installed a camera system which covered the entrance to his home, the public footpath and the entrance to the neighbours' house. One night, one of the windows of the family home was broken by a shot from a catapult. The attack was recorded by the surveillance cameras and the recordings were handed over to the police. The police identified the perpetrators and recordings were used in the course of the ensuing