The Smriti Irani incident in Goa underlines the blatant misuse of CCTV cameras installed in retail shops, hotels and public places. Recently, an 18-year-old employee of a popular lounge and bar in Mumbai was arrested after he was found videotaping women in the toilet, through a mobile phone taped to the wall. There are instances of such violations on a routine basis in hotel rooms of honeymooners, which find their way to porn footage on the Internet.
Lack of detailed legislation and stiff penalties, as well as low awareness among the public about the pitfalls of being under surveillance, are some of the reasons behind the rising number of such instances. That India neither has a detailed data protection law nor a privacy law only amplifies the concern. The provisions to deal with digital voyeurism in the IT Act are toothless as it is a bailable offence with only three years of imprisonment and a fine of `2 lakh. India needs a robust privacy law ensuring that internationally accepted privacy principles are accepted.
What is most distressing is that in nearly all these places—shops, hotels, guest houses, etc.—the misuse of the hidden cameras is not possible without the collusion of the managements or their lack of supervision during either the installation or the subsequent manipulation of the cameras by the employees. Added to this is the perverted mental level of the peeping Toms, which raises a broader social question about their upbringing and education. Related to these aspects of their unedifying background is the continuing criminal targeting of women, whether it is rape or throwing acid, for which India is earning a bad name the world over. Now, women tourists will be wary of shopping as well even in establishments which are generally regarded as upmarket as in the case of the latest incident. The only hope is that not only will the surveillance of the shops, hotels and other places where CCTVs are installed will now be intensified, but the guests will also take care to find out about the location of the cameras and complain to the management if they notice anything unusual.