It so small it may be imperceptible when attached to an officer’s lapel, glasses or hat. But for police forces, the implications of a body-worn camera are immense.

The dizzying array of privacy considerations the cameras demand are spelled out in new guidelines released by the federal and provincial information watchdogs Wednesday — principles experts say will provide police with much-needed direction when using the fast-expanding policing tool.

As a growing number of Canadian law enforcement agencies test out the cameras in pilot projects — including Toronto police, which launches a trial next month — federal and provincial privacy commissioners warn the technology also poses significant privacy risks.

With their detailed list of concerns, including whether citizens will be told when they are being recorded and where private information will be stored, the commissioners also hope to provide a counterpoint to a growing view the cameras have become mandatory policing tools.

“One of the questions we start with is whether or not it’s even necessary and effective in the first place,” said Patricia Kosseim, director general of the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada.

“We are not saying to do it, we’re certainly not saying not to do it, we’re saying hit the pause button and please consider carefully the various benefits but also the risks.”

The popularity of body-worn cameras has surged in recent years, with proponents saying the cameras boost police accountability and capture vital information to help prosecute crime. The preeminent study, examining the police force in Rialto, Calif., found the cameras produced significant declines in the use of force and in public complaints against officers.

But the privacy commissioners’ guidelines point to many concerns, including whether recordings will be made in private homes, if citizens will be informed they are being captured on video, and whether police forces will adequately protect private information caught on camera.

Among their recommendations are that recordings be protected by safeguards, such as encryption and strict retention periods. They also suggest rules aimed at minimizing the recording of innocent citizens and innocuous interactions with the public.

Christopher Schneider, a Wilfrid Laurier University associate professor who researches technology and policing, said the guidelines will help fill a legislative void.

“There’s not a whole lot of policy or amended laws yet to really give guidance to law enforcement agencies to really move forward,” he said.

He predicts that as the use of body-worn cameras expands, accountability and privacy issues are going to work themselves out in court, in turn leading to new laws dealing with the use of the cameras.

When roughly one hundred Toronto police officers hit the streets with body-worn cameras in May, the force joins police in Vancouver, Edmonton, Thunder Bay, Hamilton, London — as well as the RCMP, which uses the cameras on an ad hoc basis — in experimenting with the police tool. The Calgary Police Service has already equipped several hundred officers with cameras.

The Toronto pilot project was supposed to launch late last year, but the rollout was delayed in part because of the plethora of privacy considerations, said Meaghan Gray, spokesperson for the Toronto police.

Toronto police have been working alongside representatives from Ontario’s Information Privacy commissioner, the Ministry of the Attorney General, the Toronto Police Association and more to develop guidelines and the procedures, Gray said.

“There have been a number of issues that they are wrestling with,” Gray said, including where the recordings will be stored.

Tom Stamatakis, President of the Canadian Police Association, said the guidelines may help temper what he views as a “rush to adopt the technology,” despite there still being questions among many officers about its efficacy.

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From members participating in pilot projects, he has heard feedback ranging from officers’ own privacy concerns, to complaints the cameras adversely affect interactions with community members.

In certain circumstances, some officers may be pressured to divert members of the public from entering the criminal the justice system, and they use their discretion not to lay a charge in spite of having incriminating evidence. Stamatakis says some officers worry they will later be criticized for such decisions.

The Toronto police pilot project is set launch next month, when officers begin training on using the cameras, Gray said. By May, cameras will worn by some primary response unit officers in 43 and 55 divisions, as well as some in Traffic Services and the TAVIS Rapid Response team.

The officers will test out the equipment for about a year, after which time recommendations will be brought forward to the Toronto police chief.