Italian towns face new limits on surveillance cameras for local enforcement

The Italian Data Protection Authority (Garante della Privacy) ruled on 14 May that municipalities may not use video‑surveillance footage to issue traffic fines, since such penalties are administrative rather than criminal offences. The decision followed a case in Reggio Calabria where a municipal camera was used to reconstruct an accident and share the video with the Motor Vehicle Agency, a practice the Garante deemed unlawful under GDPR purpose‑limitation rules. Surveillance may be employed only for criminal matters such as theft or hit‑and‑run.

Separately, the city of Rovereto has installed two solar‑powered, high‑definition camera traps to monitor illegal waste dumping. Operational from July, the devices rotate among about fifteen hotspots, allowing police to identify and fine offenders between €1,000 and €3,000. The system combines citizen reports with the camera data; 162 sanctions were recorded in the first quarter of 2023, a rise from earlier years. The initiative aims to protect public hygiene, urban decour and reduce the collective cost of littering.

Both actions illustrate tighter scrutiny of how local authorities deploy surveillance technology for non‑criminal regulatory enforcement in Italy.