PLANS to record every word uttered on taxi journeys in Oxford could face a legal challenge.

Deputy Information Commissioner David Smith said his office was investigating whether Oxford City Council’s plans for a new security system in the city’s taxis broke data protection rules.

The Oxford Mail revealed on Monday that all conversations in the city’s 662 taxis will be recorded to reduce attacks on cabbies and resolve disputes between drivers and passengers.

CCTV and sound recording will start when the key is turned in the ignition, and stop 30 minutes after the end of each journey, with encrypted recordings kept for 28 days.

Mr Smith said: “We are currently investigating, so I’m reluctant to comment in too much detail in this specific case, but there could be a legal challenge. The council and taxi drivers have to comply with the Data Protection Act, and if we are not satisfied that there is compliance, we are likely to take action.”

The council insists conversations will only be listened to if a complaint is made or the police are investigating a crime.

But Mr Smith said: “At the Information Commissioners’ Office, we draw a strong distinction between recording video images and recording conversations. That is borne out by feedback from the public and individuals.

“They very often welcome CCTV cameras in public spaces to help with security, but they become very concerned if they think their private conversations are recorded. That must not be done unless there is a really strong reason for justifying it.”

He added: “The taxi cab clearly isn’t a public space. People conduct private conversations in taxi cabs, they conduct conversation on their phones.

“They expect a degree of privacy in a taxi cab. There may be grounds for intruding on that if there is a serious risk to security, but the council ought to be looking at things like panic buttons which can be switched on when there is actually an incident.”

Colin Cook, vice chairman of the Hackney carriages and private hire licensing sub-committee, said taxis were “public service vehicles” and “not confessionals” and that drivers could already overhear passengers’ conversations.

He said panic buttons and instantly-destroyed recordings would stop the scheme working.

Mr Cook said: “We don’t want this to be just for the benefit of taxi drivers, so something is only recorded when a driver presses a button.

“To get rid of the recording as soon as the fare is over is completely self-defeating. It is saved 28 days to give sufficient time for someone to send us a complaint and for us to get hold of the driver and the data.”

The scheme will be funded by £300 from each driver, and £100 from the council, paid from licencing fees.

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