IIT Bombay students oppose cameras in hostel corridors
A students’ group at IIT Bombay has strongly objected to the institute’s decision to install cameras in the hostel corridors and link the identity card with the mess facility (Mess-I system), calling it a violation of privacy and an increase in surveillance
A students’ group at IIT Bombay has strongly objected to the institute’s decision to install cameras in the hostel corridors and link the identity card with the mess facility (Mess-I system), calling it a violation of privacy and an increase in surveillance.
“These were introduced without the students’ consent. These violate their right to privacy and are intended for surveillance,” Ambedkar Periyar Phule Study Circle (APPSC) said in a statement on Monday.
CCTV cameras are already installed at the hostel entrances while security personnel are on duty round the clock, the statement said. “Despite having a robust security system, cameras in the corridors are like putting them in the house’s drawing room,” it said, demanding that the administration withdraw these surveillance measures immediately.
HT could not reach the institute’s director and the public relations officer for comments despite several attempts.
The students’ group also questioned the funding for the cameras. “During the Students Against Fee Hike movement, we saw how the administration repeatedly used the ‘lack of funds’ argument to justify the fee hike. It is not wrong to say that the funds incurred in installation of cameras are at the students’ welfare cost.”
On the institute linking I-card with the mess facility, the statement said eating habits are extremely private and personal information. “The data of when a student eats is now saved electronically. We are not against showing identity card when it is required but we are against linking and storing individual data by the institute.”