ECU-911 Removes Security Cameras Without Required Permits

Ecuadorian authorities have removed 1,223 security cameras from public spaces since March 2025, citing the lack of permits required under Executive Decree 214. The decree, signed by President Daniel Noboa in March 2024, bars citizens from placing cameras in public areas without authorization from the owner of the public infrastructure.

Police and the armed forces carry out removals in coordination with ECU-911, the agency responsible for controlling Ecuador’s video-surveillance systems. The equipment has been found on utility poles, traffic lights and road signs. ECU-911 operations director Geovanny Rivera said officials identified both fixed cameras and movable-lens dome cameras.

Some devices were ordinary domestic models sold in Ecuador. Others combined a dome camera with three, four or five fixed cameras and included video analytics and license-plate recognition. Many appeared on traffic lights along major avenues and in commercial areas. Rivera said their viewing angles did not always correspond to a nearby business.

Before an operation, ECU-911 works with the National Police and armed forces to locate the owner and request proof of authorization. If no permit exists, officials remove the camera and return it to the owner. The agency has also received complaints from residents who found cameras facing their homes without knowing who installed them or how they were being used.

From the 1,223 cameras removed through Aug. 25, only 83 owners reclaimed their equipment during or after the operations, Rivera said. ECU-911 national director Juan Carlos Paladines said authorities recently found cameras strategically placed to observe the arrival and departure of military and police operations. He also said many cameras were used for extortion and to control and divide up local drug-trafficking markets.

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Many of the security cameras are used for extortion and to control and divide up local drug-trafficking markets.