Back-seat fun: careful, they might film you - National - theage.com.au: "Footage of taxi passion may end up in cyberspace, writes Mark Russell.

RAUNCHY images of drunken couples filmed in the back seats of taxis could end up on the internet, privacy groups warn.

Security camera footage, considered a vital crime-fighting tool, could be abused due to lack of security when the images are downloaded, a report by Victoria's former privacy commissioner, Paul Chadwick, found.

The new privacy commissioner, Helen Versey, who took over in March, has backed Mr Chadwick's concerns.

'Any surveillance cameras have the potential for misuse if the images get into the wrong hands,' Ms Versey said. 'It's a question of what precautions and security surrounds who gets access to the images and how securely they are stored.' She said the Victorian Taxi Directorate, part of the Infrastructure Department's Public Transport Division, had guaranteed only a small group of authorised inspectors were allowed to download camera images.

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Ms Versey said passengers filmed kissing in a taxi had a right to expect that the footage would be destroyed or taped over and not downloaded and posted on websites such as YouTube. She said her office had yet to receive complaints about the misuse of taxi camera images.

There are more than 3500 taxis fitted with surveillance cameras in Victoria. They sit above the rear vision mirror and operate when triggered by specific events such as the opening or closing of a door.

In his report, Mr Chadwick said more people used taxis after a night out drinking because of the state's tough drink-driving laws and would 'often be less discreet than usual'.

'Galleries of women passengers or pictures of the raunchiest back-seat clinches may end up on the internet or on reality TV programs, causing serious humiliation or embarrassment,' he said. Safeguards had to be sufficient to deter misuse and detect it swiftly.

Liberty Victoria vice-president Jamie Gardiner said people would naturally be 'horrified' if footage taken of them late at night in the back of a cab was posted on the internet.

Department of Infrastructure spokesman Rob Gill denied the images were at risk of falling into the wrong hands. He said Mr Chadwick's report had highlighted problems with policies and procedures surrounding downloading of images, but these had since been addressed.

'Only (taxi directorate) compliance officers are authorised to download images, which are passed directly on to the police,' he said.

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(Read Original Article - Via theage.com.au .)