To think ring doorbells are intrusive?

[museumum]

I’ve just discovered that my friends ring football starts recording audio when its motion sensor triggered.
Thank fuck we were only saying “you press it ds, it’s that one on the left” etc and not saying anything more personal or offensive but wtf?
AIBU to find it very intrusive to be recorded like that without knowing!

I didn’t realise my dashcam recorded audio until I played it back - on the TV in the living room, in front of the kids, following an incident - the air was blue!!!!

I’m not a fan of them whatsoever, but I think they appeal to a certain type of person and I can see why, but they just don’t fit in with my general beliefs.

I thought cctv/ring doorbells were only allowed to record on your own property. Is this true?

Some posters like to present themselves as so ‘hard line’ on here. But would you really disown a friend because they had a Ring doorbell that recorded audio? Or if your husband told you to piss off in the middle of a row, would you really kick him out and change the locks? Or is it affected online moral posturing to improve your own perceived status?

We live in a society of surveillance. It’s not great to dwell on. It’s quite frightening really. But by and large it is protective and useful.

The reality is here, next to no one is going to sit and trawl the footage recorded by their doorbells looking for incriminating audio sound bites of their friends. This appears to be forgotten when people get into a frenzy on these threads.

It’s useful to have the facility of two-way audio for speaking to delivery people when out, or for telling the would-be thief to put the parcel down. Speaking down the doorbell allowed my colleague to surprise an ‘uninvited’ person on the property, who looked up in surprise, allowing the camera a great view. They then spoke back and their voice led to an identification. It was all recorded, obviously.

Does the ICO know you record audio in public?
Anyone can make video and audio recordings in public.

@PhoenixReincarnated

I thought cctv/ring doorbells were only allowed to record on your own property. Is this true?

Not really

@daimbarsatemydogsbone

Does the ICO know you record audio in public? Anyone can make video and audio recordings in public.

There is some widespread misunderstandings around privacy law on this site. I realised that yesterday in the treehouse thread.

People believe children have more rights than adults to privacy in public. They don’t.

Anyone can be filmed or photographed in public without consent. Within private places, though these are debatable in law, people have greater ‘expectations’ of privacy.

That’s not to say that other laws such as harassment may not be infringed by taking images of someone in public.

It’s different when it comes to the publication of these images, however. Journalists have certain laws and a code of practice they have to adhere to, but the actual taking of said footage is not particularly closely controlled.

There's so much misinformation in this thread.

The bloke who got told to remove his cameras was quite clearly harassing his neighbour.

We have a Google doorbell as my husband is physically disabled and there was a nasty incident outside last year.

The ICO do not need to be informed, fucking hell.

@The2Omicronnies

I’m not a fan of them whatsoever, but I think they appeal to a certain type of person and I can see why, but they just don’t fit in with my general beliefs.

People who have been robbed or harassed, perhaps.

They are very popular so I would not be shocked to see one. Also I don't say anything controversial on doorstep in case window open or home owner emptying bins/accessing car/popping back from next door.

@museumum dash cams do record audio unless you turn it off.

I had to apologise to the police handing over footage of someone else ploughing into a cyclist because I said "fucking hell" on seeing the poor cyclist fly through the air thankfully only concussion which was picked up perfectly. Although I probably would have been more embarrassed if I'd been singing I suppose!

i love my ring doorbell. We once caught a neighbour absolutely slagging off my dad because his van was parked (legally and perfectly fine) for too long while doing some building work for me.

It was comical to watch.

@The2Omicronnies

I’m not a fan of them whatsoever, but I think they appeal to a certain type of person and I can see why, but they just don’t fit in with my general beliefs.

We got one when someone smashed DP's car window in an attempt to steal the car. Is 'victim of crime' the type of person you're talking about? Does preventing crime go against your beliefs?

A friend of mine got one last year. Now whenever we meet for coffee she's constantly alerted by the bloody thing: "Oh, it's just Steve leaving to play golf", "Oh it's the postman/Amazon delivery guy/parish magazine being delivered/my friend June" "Hello June, yes its me through the ring doorbell. Ha ha yes it's funny isn't it? Yes I can see you. No I'm not at home but I can see you on my phone hahaha!" Wearing a bit thin tbh.

We have had one for years - I find it useful if we get any packages when we are out and also due to the fact my husband works nights, I can see who is at the door without opening it.

We have a sticker in the window to alert people to the fact we have a Ring device that is recording as well.

Our front door is fairly close to our neighbours front door so we have changed the settings so their "side" is blocked off / blacked out so we can't see them and it doesn't pick up movement when they are coming and going. I assume it still picks up audio but we don't check it.

@Darbs76

My friend has one in a block of flats and I don’t think the people walking past realise every conversation is recorded and can be listened to. It’s not just when you press it. We have one, I don’t bother watching it back unless for a specific reason. It’s mainly a security feature

I had no idea this is how They worked! I've never given it much thought but just assumed it would be more like an intercom feature to chat where you knew you were Doing it rather than being recorded all the time

I don't have one, but I can't really find it in myself to have sympathy for people who slag off their friends on their own doorsteps...

@MaybeHeIsMyCat

I have CCTV which also picks up audio. The people it's targeting like to get cross and make V signs at it but yeah, there's plenty of other CCTV on my road which isn't labelled! I did have a CCTV sign but it's been removed on police advice

Why did the police ask you to remove the sign?

@MaybeHeIsMyCat

I have CCTV which also picks up audio. The people it's targeting like to get cross and make V signs at it but yeah, there's plenty of other CCTV on my road which isn't labelled! I did have a CCTV sign but it's been removed on police advice

Out of interest why were you advised to remove the signage?

I just assume that if I'm out of my house I'm being recorded.

I've got a camera recording the street outside of my house (video and audio) but I only use it for security and recording crime. For instance when there was a hit and run a few months ago my camera recorded the van that didn't stop - didn't catch the number plate but you could see it was a Royal Mail van and the damage from the impact was clear.

Likewise I can use it as evidence when the neighbours in the HoMO opposite fly-tip mattresses outside (it's a big building with lots of bedsits and a very high turnover rate).

I've got internal cameras too although I tend to only have those on when I'm out, and definitely switch them off if I've got visitors. I find it's best to have a mix of obvious and hidden cameras, that way if someone breaks in while they're smashing up the obvious camera they're being recorded on the hidden one.

@The2Omicronnies

I’m not a fan of them whatsoever, but I think they appeal to a certain type of person and I can see why, but they just don’t fit in with my general beliefs.

That's fine with me , the thing is I used to have alot of anti-social behaviour around my house and bad issues with the people my neighbors were renting their home out too. I also had a break in previously.

I can tell you 100% the issues have all but stopped immediately around my home since then. Even neighbors have asked if I have managed to capture any parts of incidents they have had on the past and they have been thankful.

Do if I drove this behaviour from around my home to yours, I won't worry as prevention goes against your beliefs 🤣.

I mean you can’t really expect a conversation your having on someone’s door step to be private from that person can you they could be right behind that door hearing you anyway.

Our house is covered in cctv, motion sensors etc the amount of times we have handed footage to the police to help investigations including a murder hours and hours of footage.

All perfectly legal and above board pretty much every single street with have some kind of cctv, dash cam which pick up audio as well or various types of ring style doorbells or internal web cakes with mics pointing out windows.

Alexas can be dropped into as well and if you turn the volume right down the person your dropping in on wouldn’t know.

You’ve got to basically expect no privacy anywhere but within your own home or within a bathroom.

I dislike them, and won't have one. But the only thing I think about friends that have them is that they're a bit weak minded.

I don't believe for one minute that they improve security. They might make some people feel more secure, but only until their car gets broken into on camera at night and the police still can't do anything with the footage.

I’ve had a look at ours and it prerecords maybe 5 seconds of audio before it’s triggered by movement or the bell being pressed. Not sure how much conversation that would pick up.

I've got a camera recording the street outside of my house (video and audio)

ico.org.uk/your-data-matters/domestic-cctv-systems-guidance-for-people-using-cctv/