EDITORIAL: Watching out for privacy, too

While the use of video cameras should have safety benefits, Penn officials must be wary of privacy issues. Security cameras are valuable tools that can help to ensure the safety of members of the University community, especially in areas that are not well-lit or heavily patrolled -- such as parking lots. Yet whenever the use of security cameras is widespread, one must be concerned about the University turning into an Orwellian "Big Brother." Thus, while we applaud the use of video cameras in public locations throughout campus to maintain safety, University administrators must exercise extreme caution to ensure that no one's privacy is unfairly infringed upon. The Division of Public Safety has used over 200 video cameras on campus without any established rules for at least a year and a half. By finally passing a policy that sets regulations for the use of these cameras yesterday, the University Council took a step in the right direction of maintaining the proper balance between safety and privacy. As part of the policy, views of residential areas will "not violate the standard of 'reasonable expectation of privacy'," access to the tapes will be limited, signs will be posted in areas under video surveillance and a list of the camera locations will be published periodically in the Almanac. These regulations are an encouraging sign that University administrators are sensitive to potential abuses of the cameras. But the policy also allows for a year to bring existing cameras into compliance with the new rules. University officials should move as rapidly as possible to implement these changes. With the passage of the new policy, University officials and the Division of Public Safety showed they are on the right track. But they must continue to be vigilant to make sure there is no doubt in anyone's mind that these cameras are not placed in areas that could unduly compromise the privacy of students and other members of the University community.