Can you point the camera at someone else’s land? Look at the rules

Today, almost anyone can buy a smart security camera at home, at a cottage or at a company. All you need is a few screws, an internet connection and application installation, and you can more or less reliably secure your property in a few minutes. And yourself. However, it must not be forgotten that what rules are attached to the use of cameras by law. It is not possible to point the lens into public space just like that. And a blunt moment at the moment when you also use the recording.

Netatmo has decided to recapitulate the basic rules for security cameras with regard to the conditions of the Office for Personal Data Protection (ÚOOÚ), the GDPR regulation. The basic lesson is that the camera should not take up space that does not belong to its owner. You can cover your backyard, but you should no longer have a neighbor’s garden. “If no record is stored, the installation of such a system is not subject to the GDPR and is subject only to the Civil Code and the Charter of Fundamental Rights and Freedoms (this defines both the right to privacy and the protection of health and property). In general, according to the regulations, even such cameras must not be placed so that too intrusive on the privacy of strangers, but at the same time it is not necessary for the scanned persons to give their consent to monitoring, ”Netatmo notes.

Czech law in this therefore a little “floats on the water”. Especially in cases where the camera can even record the image. “They are mainly used to protect property cameras with the record and it is possible taken only with the permission of the person. However, the fundamental exception is the acquisition of a record in order to protect persons and property. The owner of the property, who makes a recording from security cameras, with a shot exclusively on his land, so he does not need any permission. But it is appropriate alert you to the presence of a camera system, for example, a label on the fence, which in itself can have a sufficient deterrent effect, “Netatmo recalls, noting that his cameras can software” crop “areas that should or should not be captured.