Winki Pop surf cam: Petition calls for removal of camera

A petition has been launched calling for the removal of a surf cam at Winki Pop near Bells Beach. TAKE OUR POLL

Deakin Criminologist Dr Monique Mann is leading a campaign to raise awareness of surf cameras. Picture: Alison Wynd

A criminologist is leading a fight against Australia’s top surf forecasting site to remove a web camera from one the Surf Coast’s most famous waves.

A petition to shut down the camera at Winki Pop was launched last week by the SurfRider Foundation Surf Coast Branch and the Australian Privacy Foundation. The petition, which has so far attracted more than 100 signatures, comes on the heels of a Deakin University discussion paper on the topic.

The paper criticised Swellnet, an online surf forecasting company, which run more than 100 “surf cams” across Australia, including the one at Winki Pop. Surf cams provide a live broadcast of surf conditions and crowds.

For petition organiser Dr Monique Mann, privacy and a lack of regulation were prominent concerns.

Dr Mann is a senior lecturer in criminology at Deakin University and helped author the paper the petition is based on, along with her colleague Dr Ian Warren.

“People aren’t aware that they’re being filmed,” she said.

“This isn’t the same as a CCTV camera, it’s not closed circuit, it’s broadcasting live to anyone on the internet.”

Winki pop is one the region’s best waves. Picture: Alison Wynd

Dr Mann said the petition wanted to raise awareness and discussion about surf cams.

“It’s unregulated; if they’re going to be there, they should be put inside some sort of regulatory framework,” Dr Mann said.

Filming at the Bells Beach Surfing Recreational Reserve for commercial purposes is regulated, however, the surf cam at Winki Pop is located on a private property overlooking the reserve.

If it was just a few metres away, Dr Mann said it wouldn’t be allowed to operate.

“People should be made aware at the bare minimum – people don’t know it’s there, they can’t consent, you can’t opt out, you can’t get your images removed.

“It’s just extraction … unregulated surveillance and corporate extraction from the Bells Beach Reserve, which should be respected.”

Swellnet operates 105 cameras, including 16 in Victoria.

The company’s cameras at Torquay and 13th Beach are free, while cams at Winki Pop, Bells Beach, Fishermans Beach, Ocean Grove, Fairhaven and Wye River all require a paid monthly subscription to access.

“They’re profiting from this and they’re not reinvesting any of that back into the reserve,” Dr Mann said.

Dr Mann said the research was focused on Winki Pop specifically, due to the prohibitions and regulations that govern commercial photography in the Bells Beach Surfing Recreational Reserve.

However, she noted that there were other instances of community outrage against surf cams.

In 2022, a community petition sought to remove the Wye River, Fairhaven, Lorne Point and Winki Pop cameras.

Deakin Criminologist Dr Monique Mann at Winki Pop. Picture: Alison Wynd

In June 2022, Swellnet was ordered to remove a camera at Fishermans Beach in Torquay by the Great Ocean Road Coast and Parks Authority (GORCAPA).

Despite this request, the Fisherman’s Beach camera appears to remain active on the Swellnet website.

In response to the petition, Swellnet directed the Geelong Advertiser to comments on social media, stating: “every single comment from within the local community has been in support of the surf cam”.

“Surfrider recently published two Facebook posts to galvanise support for their petition, however, the opposite has occurred,” Swellnet said.

The petition will be the start of a broader campaign to raise awareness, Dr Mann said, with organisers planning to a letterbox drop in Torquay and Jan Juc over the summer.

https://www.change.org/p/remove-the-winki-pop-surf-cam-respect-bells-beach

Originally published as Winki Pop surf cam: Petition calls for removal of camera