The govt has begun testing 'smart' detection cameras on the M4

The govt has begun testing 'smart' detection cameras on the M4

Major privacy concerns have been raised about the mobile detection cameras that were recently installed along two busy Sydney roads.

The cameras work by snapping photos of motorists as they drive past and flagging when someone appears to be using a mobile phone behind the wheel.

These images are then passed on for review by a person to confirm whether the driver is illegally using a phone.

The cameras were trialled earlier this year, on the Clunies Ross St overpass on the M4 Motorway and Anzac Parade at Moore Park.

The state government has previously been praised for testing out the world-first technology, but more than 1100 emails and documents obtained by 9 News reveals there are some big concerns about the cameras.

One of the top issues brought up by the NSW Information and Privacy Commission (IPC) in the documents related to how, unlike red light and speed cameras, the detection cameras take photos of all drivers, not just those breaking the law.

Because the cameras capture the “personal information of individuals in every vehicle”, concerns were raised about if that information was being appropriately protected, stored and deleted.

In the documents, Transport for NSW estimated that about 95 per cent of the images taken would be of “vehicle occupants not involved in an offence”.

The organisation also admitted that “there is a risk” people were not being informed about how the images, which could include things their face, number plate and car interior, were being used.

In the first 25 days of the cameras being trialled, about 2.1 million vehicles were captured.

Of those vehicles about 0.9 per cent were found to be using a mobile phone.

A spokesperson for the IPC told news.com.au that it is important to find the balance between the right to privacy and public interest in relation to road safety.

“The Privacy Commissioner provided advice and assistance to the agency to ensure that privacy considerations were taken into account and appropriate risk mitigation strategies put in place to minimise privacy harm to the public,” the spokesperson said.

“The Privacy Commissioner considers that any further rollout of these cameras beyond the trial period should be supported by effective communication and engagement with the community on the introduction of the cameras.

“The roll out of mobile phone detection cameras is a policy decision for government.”

The trial period for the cameras has been completed and the government will now examine the results before making the decision to officially roll out the cameras.

Transport for NSW has noted that controls are in place to ensure the images are appropriately stored and are only dealt with by authorised personnel.

Executive Director for the Centre of Road Safety, Bernard Carlon, said they weren’t going to apologise for trying to make NSW roads safer.

“We’re unapologetic in our aim to reduce the number of deaths and serious injuries on NSW roads caused by drivers illegally using their phones,” Mr Carlon said in a statement.

“Using a phone behind the wheel increases the risk of crashing fourfold — this is unacceptable.

“The scale of the problem cannot be ignored. Over the first 25 days of the mobile phone camera trial more than 20,000 drivers were observed illegally using a phone — from just two camera locations.”