The Data Protection Act is the key piece of legislation applicable to users of CCTV surveillance systems in public places and the code provides the framework in which a system should be operated. The Act and the eight data protection principles also apply equally to other databases linked within an intelligent operation. Operators of intelligent systems benefit from the speed which information from images can be processed. Examples such as number plate recognition, which has been used in the City of London as part of its "ring of steel", is a key example. The new congestion charge operation in London also operates with similar technology. It is, however, when the use of facial and behavioural recognition systems increases that there may be further outcries from civil liberties groups. The possibility that systems may have the ability to track the movements of a chosen person at any given time, and public demands that the law should provide a balance to protect the rights and privacy of individuals, is likely to increase pressure for the legislation and guidance currently in place to be updated in order to take the use of intelligent systems into account. In this respect, the involvement of the courts in interpreting the Human Rights Act and the possible development of a privacy law will be key. (5 pages)