Night vision cameras in cinemas raise hot debate on privacy
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The inside of a monitoring room at a cinema [Photo: 163.com]

It's dark inside the theatre, but night vision cameras can catch every move you make, as clear as daylight. An insider has revealed the use of the cameras in dark theatres and the subject has raised intense debate among netizens. Night-vision video clips posted online have even shown intimate moments between moviegoers in China.

A worker of UME Cinemas said most screening rooms are installed with night vision cameras, though the intention is not to invade the privacy of moviegoers. There must be one camera supervising the screen to ensure the film is screening smoothly and other cameras covering the audience to catch people smoking or interfering with others during the film, said the worker.

A projectionist surnamed Zhou said some netizens stretch the truth. People can't see faces or detailed behaviours clearly through night vision cameras, and only projectionists and those who are in charge of supervision can watch the videos. Taking the video clips outside cinema is forbidden, he said.

Lawyer Han Xiao from Beijing Kanda Law Firm said a cinema is a public place, and video monitoring is legal, not an invasion of privacy. But it would be better for cinemas to post a notice to inform audiences that they are under supervision of the cameras.

Author： 　　　Source：CRI　　　 Editor：Yang Fan