Neighbours ring doorbell captures our whole house

[salt123]

Our across the road neighbour has posted a video in the street WhatsApp asking if anyone recognises the person ringing her doorbell. It's bought to our attention that her ring doorbell captures our whole house in full. You can see into our bedroom windows.
I'd be uncomfortable with that anyway but her son who lives with her has been in prison for sex offences. Is it worth raising this? Surely you can set the ring doorbell to only cover your drive and pathway directly in front of your house?

Yes, you can indeed set the boundary to where you want, so there's no reason for them to have your house. Also a particularly weird thing to do since it'll turn on/chime every time you leave your house, too.

Pop over and have a chat with them, perhaps they didn't realise they can set the perimeter.

I have a ring doorbell, I've just checked the settings and I can't find a way to black out any zone so I can't see it if that makes sense. I do have mine set so I don't get notifications of movement in certain zones but those zones are still recorded if I get an alert. Due to the way my garden is I don't view any neighbours on my camera but I understand why you wouldn't be happy with this set up.

I'd definitely go over and have a quick chat asking about their settings. I think it's unlikely your activities set off their doorbell or every passing car would set it off too. Ring are also offer suggestions of how your doorbell should be set up (to alert your property only). I think the only way you could stop them seeing into your windows on recordings would be curtains/fences/hedge etc as as far as I'm aware you can't black out a space unfortunately.

No. You can set a perimeter for how far away movement is in order to activate the camera but the camera will have to be moved/redirected in order to prevent your house being filmed once its activated.
The perimeter sensor doesn't "redact" or block what the camera sees.

Cross post

Yes, you can black out a space

support.ring.com/hc/en-gb/articles/360027979331-Understanding-Privacy-Zones

Our neighbour has one and even set it of putting her bins out. You can change the proximity so perhaps only 3m in front. I believe a doctor managed in the courts to get their neighbour to remove or change it because of privacy.

Usually better to consider a conversation with them. Worst case put a fence or hedge

It’s because of this

www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2021/oct/14/amazon-asks-ring-owners-to-respect-privacy-after-court-rules-usage-broke-law

Another example of a privacy zone

Nope, people can't do that. It's a data protection breach, even more so that you aren't aware of it:

Neighbour wins privacy row over smart doorbell and cameras www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-58911296

Sorry, here

www.reddit.com/r/Ring/comments/hc0ehh/how_to_remove/

You don't have nets or blinds?

Do you think her son may have set it up for her mum?

@TowandaForever

You don't have nets or blinds?

I haven't got nets or blinds in my bedroom either. I can draw the curtains if I want to get changed but I'd still take a dim view of someone being able to film straight into my bedroom.

If you don’t draw the curtains when you get changed or have sex then surely anyone with a phone can film/take photos of you?

We have a similar but different issue. Our neighbour put a ring type security camera in the middle of our shared driveway (on the invisible boundary between down the middle, we each have a side thats closest to our house). A blue light comes on everytime I get in and out of my drive, take the bins round etc. He didn’t ask, just put it up and then suggested it was good for both of us to deter car thief’s. He is right, but I hate that he is getting a notification and is able to watch me every time I’m on my drive. Sometimes I want to sit in silence in the car and eat a MacDonald’s to escape the kids (!) but I feel so conscious that he’s possibly watching!

[quote WhatScratch]Yes, you can black out a space

support.ring.com/hc/en-gb/articles/360027979331-Understanding-Privacy-Zones[/quote]
That's actually really useful, it's a bit fiddly to find the setting but once found really easy to use. Unfortunately you're only allowed 2 of the privacy zones so OP may need to think about which of her windows/doors she request be blocked.

I couldn’t post the link but if you Google ring privacy zone and look at the image results there’s one where they’ve blocked a house across the street and one black rectangle has covered the whole house! It’ll be about distance and angles.

@WonderfulYou

If you don’t draw the curtains when you get changed or have sex then surely anyone with a phone can film/take photos of you?

Not legally! Everyone has a right to private enjoyment of their home and recording some in their own home without their permission is illegal

If talking to them doesn't fix it then, It's unlawful for them to do this without your consent

See https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/domestic-cctv-using-cctv-systems-on-your-property/domestic-cctv-using-cctv-systems-on-your-property

GDPR and DPA cover their storing of your personal data electronically (recording your personal property / house your boundary in cctv falls under that)

You can send your neighbours a subject Access request (SARs) in writing. Screenshot the fb post that shows their Ring doorbell CCTV also electronically records your house and private property

There was a case linked above where the neighbour refused to stop recording into neighbours property without consent in their cctv (repeatedly asked to stop) who is facing massive data protection and court fines under a harassment claim

[quote Shoobydooer]Nope, people can't do that. It's a data protection breach, even more so that you aren't aware of it:

Neighbour wins privacy row over smart doorbell and cameras www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-58911296[/quote]
Are you sure? How can cctv and dash cams be legal? That case wasn't as simple as just recording iirc

@TowandaForever

You don't have nets or blinds?

Not really the point is it

I would want a blind on my window anyway

A good point, marquesses!

I work in housing and off the back of that case we are instructing people not to angle video doorbells in any way that can see on to other people's property or communal area. They must also make sure there is some kind of notification to let people know it is there (like CCTV I suppose?).

Perhaps a dashcam is capturing public space where that kind of consent wouldn't be necessary?

There's also issues around how people store the recordings if they save them as well - that's the thing that can get you into hot water GDPR-wise I think.

@Shoobydooer

A good point, marquesses!

I work in housing and off the back of that case we are instructing people not to angle video doorbells in any way that can see on to other people's property or communal area. They must also make sure there is some kind of notification to let people know it is there (like CCTV I suppose?).

Perhaps a dashcam is capturing public space where that kind of consent wouldn't be necessary?

I don't know anything about the laws but I have a dashcam and I can drive past anyone's house and record or even park outside and record them

I used to work in a shop that had cctv which covered the neighbouring and opposite buildings and that wasnt illegal either

I suspect that the law is way more nuanced than a blanket situation as posted above.

Also just thought about Facebook groups that have doorcam footage on most days about deliveries and suspicious visitors, is that illegal?