Vancouver installing new temporary surveillance cameras for 2026 World Cup

Vancouver is installing hundreds of new temporary security cameras ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. City officials say the move is about public safety, but privacy experts say it deserves more scrutiny.

With the province estimating about 350,000 people will visit BC Place during next summer's tournament, the city will be under added pressure to ensure safety.

In preparation for this, blue signs have begun appearing outside the stadium warning of temporary surveillance, raising questions about how the cameras will be used and who will have access to the footage.

Around 200 cameras will be installed to FIFA requirements in areas supporting World Cup events, including BC Place, the PNE FIFA Fan Fest and training grounds.

The Vancouver Host Committee says cameras are being installed for testing but will not be operational until the tournament begins. During this testing phase, captured images will be blurred to protect privacy.

It also states that the cameras will be used solely for public safety purposes and will be removed after the end of the World Cup.

Who has access to the footage?

The Vancouver Host Committee says access to surveillance recordings will be limited to authorized personnel and will be in accordance with city policy and privacy laws.

“Footage will be shared with FIFA and security contractors as necessary,” it added.

That detail has raised concerns among privacy advocates, who say the problem is less with the cameras themselves and more with where the data is sent after it leaves city control.

“FIFA is not a Canadian government agency. Security contractors, they may or may not be based in Canada. I hope that's the case,” said Aislinn Jackson, policy adviser for the British Columbia Civil Liberties Association.

“Our privacy laws and cybersecurity in general are very sensitive to when data moves outside of Canada because other jurisdictions have less privacy legislation than we do.”

Jackson says footage collected in public spaces may still contain sensitive personal information, especially if the footage is stored, analyzed or combined with other data.

“An image of someone or an audio recording of them that contains biometric information is actually quite sensitive, especially in the era of generative artificial intelligence,” she said.

The Host Committee states that use and access will be in accordance with the City's CCTV policy and provincial privacy legislation, and all footage is transmitted over secure Canadian infrastructure and stored locally.

Cameras will appear along with the new rules of the World Cup

The new surveillance measures follow a temporary bylaw approved by Vancouver City Council in November that adjusted some city rules in time for the World Cup.

The 2026 World Cup regulations include restrictions on street vending, street entertainment and the distribution of promotional materials – with fines of up to $1,000 for people who do not comply.

These rules will be in place for nine weeks from May 13, 2026, and will apply within a radius of approximately two kilometers from BC Place and within a 100-metre radius of the PNE FIFA Fan Fest – the same locations where the new CCTV cameras are being installed.

Kristen Thomasen, associate professor and chair of the Department of Law, Robotics and Society at the University of Windsor, says surveillance associated with major events can change the way people experience public space.

“In places where these cameras are running, people will behave as FIFA defines, as the city defines,” Thomasen said. “It really bothers me that an international sports organization can dictate what people in Vancouver can do in their public spaces.”

Under the Host City Agreement, the Vancouver Committee is committed to supporting FIFA's global brand protection program.

From Vancouver 2010 to Paris 2024.

This isn't the first time Vancouver has beefed up security ahead of a major event.

During the 2010 Winter Olympics About 1,000 CCTV cameras were activated throughout the city to keep an eye on the crowd. About 900 cameras were installed by the RCMP-led Olympic security team around the Games venues, and another 90 cameras were installed by the City of Vancouver around public spaces in the city's downtown.

Vancouver officials said 90 cameras installed for the Games are no longer working. CBC News has contacted the RCMP to find out if there are still 900 cameras in use.

Similar security measures were seen in other host cities. London installed thousands of CCTV cameras in the run-up to the 2012 Olympics, and France has significantly expanded its surveillance capabilities for the 2024 Paris Games.

This history is part of why some privacy advocates warn about what they call “surveillance creep,” where tools put in place for a specific event remain in effect after that event has ended.

“You have an unusual situation where you can take extraordinary measures, and it changes people's expectations and what they consider reasonable and normal,” Jackson said.

“It can lead to these kinds of intrusions into the personal and private sphere, as well as into other interests that we want to protect and want to thrive in a free and democratic society.”

The Vancouver Host Committee says all cameras installed at the World Cup will be removed after the tournament ends.