Recording audio could get you in trouble

crc2004

crc2004

Pulling my weight
Apr 18, 2016
213
145
Good overview

 
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I keep all my crap on around the house, I would very rarely listen to audio anyway because I live about 400' from the road..Nothing going on here,I do however have to disable audio when I do Installs.
 
Recording audio on CCTV is generally not legal in the UK - that said mine record but with the sensitivity turned down so they wouldn't pick up a conversation on the street.
 
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From the research I've done it looks like it's illegal to record audio when none of the parties are aware they are being recorded and there is an expectation of privacy. I think that covers most outside cameras that can pickup audio of persons not on your property (walking down the street or sidewalk) who are unable to see a sign warning that they are being recorded. Anyone aware of an exception for this situation?
 
We need to think about why we are recording audio along with surveillance video. Most of the time it's not to capture a conversation or a neighbor talking about private stuff, a mic can capture an explosion, a screeching car, or a thief talking on their phone to a getaway driver. Audio can be helpful in a theft case to prove intent or to show emotion from a person when they fall off of their bike in front of your house. I am all for recording audio on your property or at a business.
 
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bababouy said:
We need to think about why we are recording audio along with surveillance video. Most of the time it's not to capture a conversation or a neighbor talking about private stuff, a mic can capture an explosion, a screeching car, or a thief talking on their phone to a getaway driver. Audio can be helpful in a theft case to prove intent or to show emotion from a person when they fall off of their bike in front of your house. I am all for recording audio on your property or at a business.
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don't forget gunshots. it's very handy to be able to tell the police the exact time. I've even entertained the possibility of a homebrew shotspotter.
 
xdq said:
Recording audio on CCTV is generally not legal in the UK - that said mine record but with the sensitivity turned down so they wouldn't pick up a conversation on the street.
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I don't believe it's illegal,that would involve criminal sanctions. The ICO has issued guidelines saying that it should not be recorded. Whether there are other laws that actually make it illegal I wouldn't know. I could foresee it being actionable as a civil matter by a lawsuit from an affected individual for breach of EU privacy laws. Whether the ICO can punish businesses for breach of it's guidelines, I don't know.

However, as I also understand it, the ICO regulates Data Protection. I understand that Data Protection Law covers business users only, only not private individuals.

I would have thought there was still a risk with an individual of getting sued for beach of privacy. I wouldn't know if it's legal (from a civil standpoint) to record audio restricted to pick up from your premises only. I have heard with CCTV for a private individual the camera should be positioned so it doesn't point into the street, although if the street is captured incidentally to the main area of focus, then that is ok.

I guess you'd need a specialist lawyer for a definitive answer on all of the audio scenarios / law.
 
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