Hundreds of apartment buildings across the UK have rolled out digital advertising screens that quietly film residents — prompting a wave of concern over privacy. Supplied by 30Seconds Group, the billboards are installed in communal spaces like lift lobbies, where trapped audiences wait. The company markets the screens as a way to gather “occupant engagement” and demographic data for advertisers — essentially tracking how viewers react to adverts. 

 

One tenant, Conor Nocher, living in a block managed by Residential Management Group (RMG), says he’s paying monthly service charges for adverts he didn’t ask for. Even though RMG claims the cameras are not active in his building, the visible hardware alone has alarmed many residents. 

 

Civil-liberties groups including Big Brother Watch have slammed the screens as “creepy as hell” — a symbol of “surveillance capitalism.” Critics argue people should be free to move around their homes without hidden cameras scanning their reactions to adverts. 

 

While some buildings — including a heritage site in Sheffield — have already removed the billboards after tenant protests, the 30Seconds Group still plans to expand installations to up to 2,000 blocks by next year. 

 

 

 

Key Takeaways

 

Digital billboards with built-in cameras are being installed in residential blocks across the UK — raising serious privacy concerns.

 

Residents in some buildings are footing the bill for screens showing ads they didn’t request, often without prior consultation.

 

Civil-liberties advocates argue this sort of tracking inside shared living spaces — even if cameras are inactive — erodes the boundary between private and public life. 

 

Adapted From 

 

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/dec/09/uk-campaigners-condemn-digital-billboards-track-viewers

 

Even worse is the new glasses from meta et. al. that film everything. Good news on that front though is a woman in NY broke an influencers glasses when he was filming her on the subway. The other passengers cheered.

Add it to Alexa, smart TVs, smart phones and other corporate spy technology people willingly welcome into their home.

 

 

Unnecessary comment removed 

 

@Celsius

 

 

 

 

Reply removed 

Means folks at home won't have to make their own porn vids anymore.

8 hours ago, Bacon1 said:

Hundreds of apartment buildings across the UK have rolled out digital advertising screens that quietly film residents

Whats the problem  nothing to hide  so  just let 'Big Brother' take care of everything right ?   no problemo  ..and hasta la vista baby

 

I've got 'OK Google', if they want to follow conversations in my household, I hope they find them more interesting than I.