July 28, 2015

With video surveillance cameras being so ubiquitous, privacy is still a concern among some clients.

That’s certainly the case for ABE Alarm Service in Allentown, Pa., which was recently asked to install an exterior home video surveillance system, but with a twist: The homeowners asked that a disable switch be installed for one particular camera that covers the backyard swimming pool because sometimes “skinny dipping” goes on. The disable switch is located in an interior dressing area.

So is there any liability for the integrator? Nope, says legal expert Ken Kirschenbaum of Kirschenbaum & Kirschenbaum. He write a regular column on security legal matters for CE Pro‘s sister publication Security Sales & Integration.

“That is fine,” says Kirschenbaum in reference to the homeowner’s CCTV request. “If the pool is at a nudist colony or place where regular naked swimming takes place [like my backyard] then you might want to be sure the cameras are open and obvious, not covert. There ordinarily should be no expectation of privacy in a back yard pool, but that could depend on the layout of the yard and pool.”

He adds, “Other than specifically designated areas in a statute, such as bathrooms, dressing rooms, etc., you should be guided by common sense and expectations of privacy.”