Mark Lizar, Co-Founder of Open Consent, conduct academic research to focus of the security of privacy in surveillance systems. This pioneered the open surveillance methodology that is implemented in the United Kingdom today, and is also how the co-founders met and decided to launch this company. This research not only uncovered systematic challenges to privacy notice infrastructure, but also inspired the company that is today called OpenConsent.

This unique research into the compliance of CCTV and its expansion in London, UK, was conducted as apart of longitudinal study of the growth and expansion of CCTV surveillance across Europe called the Urban Eye Project. This project followed the explosion of funding for video surveillance in the early 2000’s focusing on the effectiveness and impact of surveillance in society.

This research included; field research that involved physically measuring the surveillance signs and privacy notice compliance with Data Protection Directive,

The output was an analysis of the contextual integrity of the security of privacy, this research included requesting all of the CCTV Camera locations from London councils, a formal test of the ICO complaints process and the eventual publication of all CCTV surveillance camera locations by the councils in the UK.

The presentation and report of this research led to recommendations included in the UK CCTV Code of Conduct, which is today driven by the world’s first Surveillance Commissioner.

Lizar, M., Potter, G., (2011) Towards a Framework of Contextual Integrity: Legality, Trust and Compliance of CCTV System Signage, was published by Routledge in, “Eyes Everywhere: The Global Growth of Camera Surveillance”, edited by Aaron Doyle, Randy Lippert and David Lyon in 2011 and is now taught at universities around the world.