Housemate set camera up in house without our knowledge

[Raindrops2019]

Housemate set raspberry pi up in kitchen that recorded us without our knowledge. Pi has a camera on it. I am furious, rest of house indifferent. AIBU or are they?

It's a gross invasion of privacy to do it. It doubles that to use you as guinea pigs for his research without consent.

One of you has to go. Your housemates are at best naive.

Get legal advice; if you are a student, try the Students' Union.

Sounds like a Human Rights Act breach.
www.lawontheweb.co.uk/legal-help/right-to-privacy

This is in kitchen, now Can't see a camera/recording apparatus on it.

Thank you @Love and @woman

Google how to find hidden cameras, there are some good tips. You can use your phone to find them.

Stick it all in a cupboard every time you see it, or cover it with a teatowel when you walk in the room.
He sounds like an ass. Can you move or are you stuck in a contract.

Alright, I am going to make a plan as this is not a good time to leave so I need to organise myself. Am going to sign out now so that I can get work done but thank you all for your comments. I was trying to see how the others could see it as a harmless uni project but it is the other stuff that makes me question him and I just thinnk the others don't want to get involved.

If other housemates are not bothered, that's up to them. Don't try to stir them up into forming an alliance against him. Some people regard shared housing as just a place to sleep and store their stuff.

If it bothers you, it's probably best to look for somewhere else to live. This camera may not be there for some sinister purpose: you clearly dislike him intensely for a variety of reasons so you are putting the worst possible interpretation on it.

no way this is acceptable, not on any level OP. I'd get someone in to check all your shared and private spaces, and yes I agree you need to move out, this is a disgrace.

Am in contract but landlady said we can make arrangement. Have a friend who said I could stay with her. Just need to organise stuff. Think landlady might act if she knows I am serious.

@ReanimatedSGB don't think I am, actually. Think I have been very tolerant.

Take rasberry pi, unplug it, and put it in the microwave oven for around 10 to 20 seconds, it will be blinded for life:)

Ands sunshine won't have a clue how it happened!

If you have not given permission, raise with SU and Uni.

As people have said above, move out but good for you for cancelling TV licence.

Might be worth removing plug from TV or the Power Supply as they can track by IP address now

There is so much wrong with this but the most effective way to deal with it if you decide to do something more than just moving out, is the university. Students must obtain ethics approval for research involving human subjects, he has violated a number of ethical considerations in what he has done, from lack of consent to data handling.

When you say filming front of house,is he filming inside the house or through the front window to capture comings and goings? I could tolerate the latter (i.e. like security cameras on the front of the house). Inside the house you are surely entitled to privacy. I would have thought that the simplest solution would be a spilt cup of tea or coffee over it.

You shouldn't have to be the one to move out but I think I would. I wouldn't feel safe and I would worry he had left a camera even if he moved out. I would move out and get away from him.

@Booboostwo Yes. On so many levels. He is a Phd student! He must have been briefed on this.

Pour water on it? I'd 'accidentally' knock a jug over every time I came across something like this.

Ugh I'd be well creeped out someone was recording anything in my home (shared home or not) without my knowledge regardless of anything else.

Im conscious I might sound like a drama llama but something similar happened to my cousin and in the end there wasn't just one camera. It's hard though because they're so small now you can't really just do a sweep of the house and know there's nothing there.

I think with housemates it's a bit like relationships - once the trust / good faith is gone there isn't really any going back. It's shit you'd have to move because of someone else OP but it's what I would do I think.

Disclaimer: I'm over sensitive to this kind of stuff because of stuff in my past so don't know if my genuine ugh shudder reaction to this is normal or not!

@CorBlimeyGovenor both. Originally camera was in kitchen on window sill. Then once I saw it and said I didn't want him recording me he took it away but then I found it hidden under curtain in living room where it was aimed at front gate, path, etc.

Now there is a pi in the kitchen that has wire connections out of the window to plants in the garden.

@ThatCurlyGirl actually, I don't think that is an overreaction. It is a violation of your privacy in the one place you should expect it. I don't do anything in the kitchen other than cook, etc but that is not the point. It is a trust issue now but more based on his reaction/behaviour about other things - he is taking the piss and I do wonder if it is to get me out of the house as I have a huge room/cheap rent.

It is landowner’s responsibility to stop him, I checked the photo/filming law some time ago hen somebody was uploading pictures of my horse. Push the issue with the landlady.

Totally unacceptable.

@Raindrops2019

Poor you what a shit position he's put you in, sorry 😔

I think like I said I'd have to leave in your position. Kind of glad in a weird way to hear my automatic reaction isn't an overreaction because it means my boundaries aren't too askew after all.

Hope it all gets sorted ASAP for you whatever you do next