Legal Issues for Outside Webcams and Others Privacy?

Jesse Ferrell asks: "My neighbors are asking for me to remove my (weather) web cams from my website because they show part of their houses. Is there any legal precedent to a case like this? I can point the cameras upwards towards the sky more (they are weather cams of course) but it will take time and equipment, possibly modifications to my house. Have you ever heard of a similar situation? What should I do? I'll check the local ordinances and see what I come up with."

Comments

There is no problem

[mfos.org]

Since you are just capturing the exterior of their homes, which is in the public domain, there shouldn't be a problem. YOu're only concern should be is that if the cameras are placed in such a way as to reveal something that normaly would be hidden.

It depends on where they're pointing

[drbhoneydew]

A lot of their perceived problem probably arises from what they think you're going to be able to see.

I don't think I'd be too impressed with a webcam that offers a perfect view into my bedroom, for example.

Probably the best way of resolving this is to show them what the view that the camera gets is. They can then tell you which bits they're not happy about and you can potentially come to a mutually agreeable solution.

Having had a look at the site, I'm guessing that it's cam #2 that's causing the issue. All it really needs is to be tilted up by a couple of degrees more to get those windows on the bottom left out of the picture.

In cases such as this it is always better to try to talk about it rationally before getting all litigious. From a legal standpoint, you'll probably end up being forced to tilt the camera up a couple of degrees. The difference will be that it'll be after a drawn out process which will alienate you from your neighbours and the only people profitting will be the lawyers.

Here in the UK, we have rights under the Data Protection Act to a copy of any video footage involving us (eg CCTV) and for our faces to be obscured if the footage is distributed without our permission. This usually only applies to footage that is stored on tape etc so webcams would be a bit of a grey area anyway (although the courts would probably say that the neighbours have the right to their privacy).

Proud of the slashdotter's responses.

[ccady]

I am proud of the many slashdotters whose advice was to be nice and try to accomodate the neighbor. I assumed that most people would say "Tell 'em to ^$%* off." Thanks for restoring a bit of my faith in human nature.