Streaming and recording of online lectures
When lectures are streamed online it is, in principle, voluntary for students if they wish to participate with their camera and/or microphone enabled. This is configured by the student themselves when initially connecting to the live-stream, and can be changed at anytime by the student during the course of the lecture or teaching session.
Recording of online lectures
If the online lecture is being recorded and it is only the lecturer who is part of the recording then this is equivalent to the usual recording of lectures at UiO. The lecturer consents to the recording themselves by starting the recording.
Recording of obligatory lectures
Subjects where there is already a requirement for recording of students
In cases where there are obligatory lectures and there is already a requirement that the students are to be recorded, the legal basis for recording is GDPR art. 6 (1) litra e, cf. University and University Colleges Act, Section 1-3.
The following information shall be provided:
- That a recording is being taken
- The reason for taking the recording
- Where the recording is to be saved and shared
- How long the recording will be saved for
- How the recording will eventually be published
- Who will have access to the recording
This information can be provided on the course page or in Canvas, and lecturers must remind the students that they are being recorded. This information should be provided before students enroll in the course and updated information must be made available in the event that any of the above information is changed
Courses which have not previously had a requirement to record students
For cases when there are obligatory lectures and there is a new requirement for students to be recorded, it will, in principle, not be possible to record the lecture when the students are a part of the recording. If, nevertheless a recording of the lecture is made and the students are a part of the recording, then it must be subject to special consideration.
One assessment to make is whether UiO’s needs and interests in taking the recording outweigh the privacy rights of the students. UiO should not require students to be filmed without informing them in advance.
If it is not necessary to take a recording in order to fulfill the students’ rights and the institution's obligations then in principle the recording shall not be taken.
If the course only has mandatory attendance and participation in the lecture by asking the lecturer questions is voluntary, then the recording can be taken under the same conditions as for optional lectures (see below).
Recording of optional lectures:
This legal assessment assumes that UiO’s standard configuration of Zoom is used. This will ensure that students who connect to watch live-streams of lectures will, as standard, not share their audio or video with each other.
Information must be provided in advance, or at the beginning of the lecture, that students who wish to ask the lecturer questions via audio and/or video will then be a part of the recording. The following information must be provided:
- that UiO is recording the lecture, and that all questions from “the floor” will be a part of the recording. Those that do not want to be a part of the recording can be encouraged to send questions via email.
- the reason for taking the recording
- how long the recording will be saved for
- where the recording will be saved and shared
- who will have access to the recording
- the legal basis for processing (GDPR art. 6 nr. 1 litra e, cf. University and University Colleges Act, Section 1-3)
If the recordings are to be used for a purpose other than that necessary for teaching (for example: quality assurance, research, learning analysis, etc), then the consent from those who participated in the recording must be obtained.
Streaming and recording online events
Streaming online events
It is voluntarily for the audience whether or not she/he elects to share picture and/sound when streaming a digital event. This is controlled by the audience members’ settings while watching the event, and it is possible for the audience to change the settings.
Recording online events
If the online event is being recorded and it is only the speaker who is part of the recording, then this is equivalent to the usual recording of lectures at UiO. The speaker consents to the recording themselves by starting the recording. If there are more than one speaker, all speakers must consent, or the recording must be a prerequisite for the contract with the speakers.
If more people than the speakers may be a port of the recording, then it is necessary to inform in advance or at the start of the event that questions and comments will be part of the recording.
It is also necessary to give the following information:
- That a recording is being taken
- The reason for taking the recording
- Where the recording is to be saved and shared
- How long the recording will be saved for
- How the recording will eventually be published
- Who will have access to the recording
- The legal basis for recording the event
The legal basis is dependent upon what kind of event it is. Some possible legal basis at the university are the following:
- The University and Colleges Act states that UiO shall be “contributing to innovation and value creation based on results from research and academic and artistic development work” and “facilitating participation in the public debate by the institution's staff and students”. If an event has either of these purposes, the legal basis for recording the event is: GDPR art. 6 (1) litra e, cf. University and University Colleges Act, Section 1-3)
- GDPR art. 6 (1) litra f – It may be in UiOs legitimate interests that a recording of the event is taking place. It is necessary to evaluate UiOs need for a recording and the audience rights to privacy
What do I have to do before I start the recording?
Am I allowed to record?
Yes, you are. If you are only recording the images on the screen and the voice of the lecturer, you don’t need consent from the participants. To be safe, make an agreement with the participants that all questions are to be asked during the breaks or via e-mail.
If there is a possibility that all the participants may be recorded, either by voice, image or both, you need written consent. If all participants but one give consent, you cannot record the session. If possible, inform the participants where the camera will not be filming. This way, people who do not want to appear on a recording, can move out of the cameras view.
- Read the routine description for recording at UiO. The routine description contains everything you need to know about rules and regulations and legal information.
Consent and information about rights
You need to get written consent from everyone present. If you do not have consent from everyone present, or if one person does not want to give consent, you cannot record the session.
A recording taken for one specific purpose cannot be used for any other purpose than what was originally agreed upon. If you wish to use the recording for another purpose, you have to get consent from everybody who was present during the original session.
Participants can withdraw their consent at any time. This must be done in writing and sent to the correct organizational unit.
Anonymous consent
Consent can be given anonymously. This means that if the recording is to be allowed, the number of consent forms has to be the same as the number of participants. If there are one or more consent forms missing, the recording cannot be done.
Do I have to ask for consent for every lecture, even if the same participants are present?
If you want to record a series of lectures, seminars or courses, where the participants are the same every time, you only need to collect consent forms the first lecture.
Rights
Every person who is present at the time of the recording has to be aware and informed about their own rights. Please use the information sheet.
Equipment and rooms
Your Local IT knows what equipment and rooms are available.
What do I do after I am finished recording?
Where can I save the recordings?
The recordings should be available for the participants, as well as the lecturer. Therefore it should be saved on the course page on uio.no.
This is how you publish video in Vortex (guide in Norwegian).
For how long can I keep the recording?
A recording has to be deleted when it is no longer professionally relevant. This means that the recording has to be deleted if it is outdated, unless the recording is of historic value. This has to be considered for each recording and by each lecturer, seminar leader etc.
Examples
If a person does not want to give consent
If a person does not want to give consent, anonymously or not, you cannot record the session.
Remember to inform the participants where they should sit if they do not want to be a part of a recording (video). Remember to turn the recording off during the breaks and urge the students to ask questions during the breaks. If you inform the participants well in advance, you may prevent them from not giving consent.
If someone wants to withdraw their consent
If someone wants to withdraw their consent, they have to give a written notice to the responsible organizational unit. When this is done, remove the recording from the site where it is published.
If a student wants to record
Students are also allowed to record a lecture, a course or a seminar, but only if allowed by the responsible organizational unit.
The recording can only be for personal use and cannot be published or shared. If the student wants to publish or share the recording, they have to follow the same consent rules as the lecturers. If they don’t get consent from all the participants, the recording cannot be published or shared.
If a student is okay with being recorded, but not on video
Check the angle of the camera. As a rule, the camera will focus on the lecturer, and not the participants. There should be seats in the room where the camera does not reach. Encourage the students in question to ask questions during the breaks or via e-mail.
If the same students are participating in several lectures
If a recording is done over a period of time and several lectures, where the purpose and the participants remains the same, the first consent applies. You can record all the lectures unless someone withdraws their consent.