Illegal Video Surveillance in the Home

Illegal Video Surveillance in the Home

     Video surveillance is mostly legal in the US.  There are, however, exceptions that may get you in trouble if you aren't familiar with them.  Illegal video surveillance in the home can occur if you have set up a covert surveillance system in a room you are renting to someone, or in any room where people are likely to be undressed.  The bedrooms and bathrooms are not a good place to set up video surveillance and really, there shouldn't be a need to do so in these areas.      Illegal video surveillance in the home has led to more than a few court cases.  It is legal to set up a hidden camera to keep an eye on hired help and nannies to make sure they aren't stealing or neglecting children but it is very illegal if you put a hidden camera in the bathroom.  This could lead to very serious charges against you and is an invasion of privacy. 

     If you don't want to be accused of having illegal video surveillance in the home, you can ask that your hired help and nannies sign a waiver agreeing to constant monitoring in certain areas but you need to make sure you are, in fact , only monitoring the agreed upon areas.       Exceptions can be made if you have hidden cameras focusing on certain parts of a room.  If you have a camera trained at your dresser where you keep very expensive jewelry, this is usually fine.  You just want to make sure you aren't going to be recording someone changing clothing or in a compromising position.

     The best way to avoid illegal video surveillance in the home is to just use common sense.  Think about where you wouldn't mind being video taped and where you would definitely not want a camera to be placed.  As long as you have good common sense or check your local laws pertaining to video surveillance in the home, you should avoid doing anything illegal.