I heard the item on Today originally referred. I think it's important to be clear about these issues and not to take journalists seriously unless it's clear that they have some idea what they're talking about, which was patently not the case on this morning's programme. I think this was what journalists refer to as a 'flam-up'.
The item was introduced by reference to the Human Rights Act - so far as I know, this was simply a mistake made out of ignorance. The protection of privacy surely cannot mean that photographs cannot be taken by private individuals of other individuals freely engaged in a public performance. The parent interviewed said parents had been told not to take photos of the Nativity play because of the Data Protection Act. I instantly took the same view as John Hitches expressed earlier - i.e. that these would not be at issue if taken by individuals for domestic use. There are also exemptions for journalism, and in any other use doesn't there have to be some way of tying them to identifiable individuals about whom data exists or is likely to come into the data controller's possession?
Paul
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