Candid camera

Interesting that the guidelines published by the University of Huddersfield accompanying its decision to record teaching sessions refer to the “ethical and practical” problems but not the legal ones (“University of Huddersfield gives tutorial filming plan green light”, News, 5 July).

Under the Data Protection Act, universities need explicit consent from any student when the data being processed are “sensitive personal data” such as political opinions or religious beliefs. It is an offence to make such a recording – even if never used or published and speedily deleted. Surely here caution dictates that no teaching should be filmed, as none of us can predict with sufficient certainty that no views will ever be voiced in a class.

David Mead
University of East Anglia

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