Are My Landlord’s Security Cameras Intruding on My Privacy?
Home security? Super important. Confidentiality? Also important. What happens when they collide and someone starts using their home security cameras to invade the privacy of others while protecting their packages from door thieves?
And no, I’m not talking about the ring . I’m talking about the tricky issue of living with a roommate or renting from a landlord who has CCTV cameras around your house or apartment. If you resolve a slight discrepancy in this week’s Tech 911 column, where I usually answer your questions, I would like to share some takeaways from a recent incident in my own life situation. (And if you have any advice for me other than moving – I’ve already checked this box – I can hear everything!)
Here’s the scheme: I live in a pretty safe corner of Silicon Valley, renting a room at a friend’s house. They installed cameras around the house, mostly exterior, to add a little extra protection from potential thieves to doors, hit and run (what happened to a former roommate’s car) and who knows what else.
I generally think that everything except the front porch camera is a little overkill, and in my house there are cameras in the front, cameras in the back and cameras in the garage – you name it, we probably record it. All of these records are kept for an unknown amount of time by my roommate / landlord, home owner and permanent technical expert.
This is where I got a little worried. I don’t like being followed, and my friends or fiance don’t appreciate that these cameras let people know when they arrive, how long they stay, and worse, record whatever they say in close proximity to the cameras. … It seems invasive, and complications from this installation are one of the reasons for my move.
There is absolutely nothing I can do to improve this situation other than go through an annoying legal process that will actually get nowhere (and seems pointless as I leave). However, I have a few takeaways from this helpful stalker-turned system that I think are worth considering the next time you move to a new location or team up with a new roommate.
Demand Sharing Home Security Cameras
It’s not difficult, but it can be difficult to have a conversation afterward. If you are moving into someone’s home and they use CCTV cameras, webcams, a doorbell camera, or some other insane surveillance solution to increase the safety of the place, it’s fair if you ask – if it’s not polite to demand quality lease terms – to access what the cameras see and record. While you may never need or want to watch footage, knowing that you can use the same channel or recordings as your roommates or your landlord will put the two of you on a level playing field. It won’t stop them from spying on you or tracking who’s coming and going, but it’s a little less creepy if you can also see exactly what they and the cameras are seeing.
Ask your roommates or landlord to show you the cameras
Regardless of whether you can or cannot access video (or feed) from surveillance cameras located around your home, you should at least know where these devices are located. While it’s questionable, it’s possible your roommates or landlord will even let you put up a small sign to alert guests to these recording devices. Obviously, the porch camera will be pretty easy to figure out, but you and your guests need to know if cameras are placed anywhere else throughout the house – in the garage, hallway, backyard, above your closet, etc.
If your roommates or landlord is in control of your home network setup …
Here’s the tricky part. Your roommates or landlord can show you the obvious cameras around your house or shared apartment and even give you access to the footage, but nothing prevents them from installing the camera elsewhere and not informing you about it. I know we are now entering James Bond territory. And if you can’t trust your roommates or landlord, why are you living with them?
However, I am a huge fan of equality in life situations. Do not allow one person to manage your home network configuration. Request access to your router (or some other more complex setup) and you can check for yourself if it assigns an IP address to any cameras in the house that you can’t see. (And if that doesn’t work, or the camera doesn’t just appear in your operating system’s network window, there is always an Angry IP Scanner …)
Yes, your roommate or landlord can set up some kind of closed network solution to record your activities outside of your home network. And if so, you should probably already have other signs that indicate that you are a psychopath. And then you should move out. Now.
Imagine you’re on Airbnb
While you’re on the move and have room for yourself, consider switching to ” Airbnb Mode ” and looking around like Sherlock for additional cameras around your home or apartment. Chances are you won’t find anything, and if you do, hopefully it’s only in the common room to record what your cat or dog does during the day. (Spoiler: They are asleep.)
Do some legal research
Laws vary by location, but generally speaking, your roommates or homeowner should not place cameras where you have a reasonable belief in privacy – such as in your room or bathroom. The landlord can install outdoor surveillance cameras, but if they record audio, does that violate your state’s wiretapping law ? I would check. If the landlord does not use the footage to check for missing parcels, but instead uses it to track your whereabouts, it could be subject to tenant harassment .
If you are really concerned about the behavior of your landlord or roommates, I recommend keeping a log of any interactions you have with the security cameras installed throughout your home. If you can get any proof of how they can use these cameras in a way that isn’t quite progressing, even better. Otherwise, I wouldn’t go bankrupt by calling the nearest local lawyer you can find, but there may be a law firm specializing in tenant rights that is willing to give you a quick free consultation – probably telling you you won’t. I have many legal grounds, but you never know for sure.
The situation changes slightly if you are a tenant and not a tenant – renting a room in a house or apartment when your landlord also lives in the specified location, versus renting when they do not. If this is your deal, then what is defined as “a reasonable expectation of privacy” is probably not your kitchen, but just the particular room you rent. It’s still worth checking out if you are really worried about CCTV cameras around your life situation, but the chances that you will be able to fight it through a court of law (or a well-worded letter) are slightly lower.
Try talking to unpleasant roommates or landlords about this.
I left this step for last, although it really should be the first, but I believe that if you are the type of people who chat on webcams around their house, chances are good that you just did not get a chance to talk to the landlord about it. / roommates / whoever. I’m not saying that this will lead to the desired result, but perhaps calm and rational expression of your concerns will defuse the tense situation that the concept of espionage, tracking and webcam can cause. I never got to this point, but I hope you can do it if you find yourself in a surveillance situation as difficult as I am.