May the police film me? (Body cam + traffic + station recording)
Under Dutch Police Data Act — body cam with audio + warning, traffic camera proportionate, station recording with notice. Differs per situation.
Police film under the Dutch Police Data Act (Wpg) + GDPR additions. Stricter than commercial camera use. Per situation: (1) Body cams: pilot since 2017, structural since 2022 for all police zones. Officer must announce ("I'm turning on body cam") and on standard enforcement only record reactively. Audio + image. Retention 28 days (longer on criminal case). (2) Traffic cameras: ANPR cameras register licence plates. Retention 24-48h unless hit. Privacy First ruling 2023 = restrictions. (3) Station recording: conversations in cell or interview room allowed under conditions — must inform beforehand at interview (Wbb protocols). (4) Demonstrations: police filming only on concrete public-order threat, not pre-emptive. Bits of Freedom successfully demanded in 2024 that surveillance camera at demonstrations is limited. Your rights: access to your recordings (Wpg Art. 25), correction + erasure on inaccurate data, complaint to Police Complaints Committee or AP. On unfounded suspicion of excessive force: body-cam data is often your best evidence — request access within 28 days.
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