The Watchful Eye: Balancing Home Security Cameras with the Right to Privacy

In the last decade, home security has undergone a radical transformation. Gone are the days when a sturdy deadbolt and a barking dog were your only defenses. Today, a $30 Wi-Fi camera can let you watch your living room from a beach in Bali, and a $200 doorbell can let you “speak” to a delivery driver from your office desk.

Many states have "two-party consent" laws for audio recording. If your camera records audio of a conversation between your spouse and a neighbor on your porch, you are legally recording a conversation you are not a part of. In jurisdictions like California, Illinois, or Pennsylvania, doing this without notifying the other party is a felony , not a social faux pas.