Providing emergency access to surveillance video

A digital data processing system for managing access to surveillance video, comprising:

• at least one processor;
• a memory;
• at least one network adapter for communicating over at least one network with at least one requesting device;
• a video access authorization function embodied as a plurality of instructions recordable in said memory and executable on said at least one processor, said video access authorization function accessing at least one previously recorded authorization record responsive to a request on behalf of a remote requestor to access surveillance video generated by a privately-controlled surveillance domain in real-time to determine whether access by the requestor is authorized, said surveillance video being generated independently of a detected pre-specified emergency condition, said surveillance video being unconditionally accessible to at least one user authorized to said privately-controlled surveillance domain but not unconditionally accessible to public authority emergency responders, said at least one previously recorded authorization record including a conditional authorization record specifying at least one emergency condition for granting, to a remote public authority emergency responder, real-time access to said surveillance video generated by said privately-controlled surveillance domain;
• wherein, responsive to receiving a request on behalf of said public authority emergency responder to access surveillance video generated by said privately-controlled surveillance domain in real-time, said video access authorization function determines whether said at least one emergency condition for granting access is met, and responsive to determining that said at least one emergency condition is met, automatically authorizes real-time access by said public authority emergency responder to the requested surveillance video;
• wherein said at least one emergency condition comprises an alarm condition detected by at least one sensor in said privately-controlled surveillance domain.