300,000 SEK fine against housing company

Dec 16, 2020

Source: European Data Protection Board

The Swedish Data Protection Authority has issued an administrative fine of SEK 300,000 against a housing company for unlawful video surveillance in an apartment building.

The Swedish Data Protection Authority (DPA) received a complaint concerning video surveillance in an apartment building belonging to the housing company Uppsalahem. The complainant claimed that there was a surveillance camera in the apartment house directed towards the complainant’s front door.

The DPA’s audit shows that the housing company had set up a surveillance camera monitoring the floor where the complainant lives. The camera’s monitoring area clearly covered two apartment doors, one of which belongs to the complainant and the other belonging to a resident whom has been subject to disturbances and harassment.

The housing company states that the purpose of the video surveillance was to resolve disturbances having occurred in the stairwell over time.

“The way the video surveillance was set up, on the ground floor of the property, left all residents of the house subject to monitoring on their way to and from their respective home. This is especially true for the complainant and the closest neighbour, since their front doors are so clearly included in the monitoring area of the video surveillance. Even if the company had a legitimate interest for video surveillance, it was outweighed by the residents’ right to privacy,” says Gustav Linder, legal advisor at the Swedish Data Protection Authority’s video surveillance team.

In its decision, the Swedish Data Protection Authority concludes that the video surveillance in question, monitoring individuals in their home environment is particularly privacy sensitive. For that reason, the DPA imposes a fine of SEK 300,000 on the housing company.

The housing company has ceased the video surveillance in question.

To read the original press release in Swedish, click here

For further information, please contact the Swedish SA: datainspektionen@datainspektionen.se

The press release published here does not constitute official EDPB communication, nor an EDPB endorsement. This press release was originally published by the national supervisory authority and was published here at the request of the SA for information purposes. As the press release is represented here as it appeared on the SA’s website or other channels of communication, the news item is only available in English or in the Member State’s official language with a short introduction in English. Any questions regarding this press release should be directed to the supervisory authority concerned.

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