More and more people have a doorbell camera. Handy, because you can see exactly who is at the door when you are not at home. The images can also help the police with suspicious situations, such as the violent neighbor fight in Bergen op Zoom, last Sunday. Nevertheless, the use of smart doorbells raises questions, especially in the field of privacy. What is possible and what is not?
“The basic rule is: you can’t just film the street,” says Brenno de Winter, expert in the field of privacy and information security. “Film your possessions of others or the public road while this is not necessary, then you will break the Privacy Act.”
According to the Dutch Data Protection Authority, you are responsible for properly adjusting your camera. He can only visualize your property, such as your driveway or garden. Filming the public road or the neighbors’ house is only allowed if you have a clear, demonstrable reason for it.
“You can’t say: it’s never allowed, because sometimes it is indeed justified,” says De Winter. “For example, if there are many home burglaries in your area. It is always a trade -off and sometimes the privacy of your environment clashes with these types of security.”
“The mail deliverer has to take granted that he is on the screen everywhere.”
If you only film your own terrain, nothing is wrong according to the winter. “A mail deliverer must therefore take granted that he is on the screen everywhere.” According to the Dutch Data Protection Authority, you must clearly indicate that filming is being made. This is possible with a sticker or sign.
As a citizen, you also have to pay attention to sharing images made, for example by putting them on the internet. “Sharing is only allowed with permission,” says the expert. “A different assessment applies to journalists or police. In addition, it is important that the people on the screen are unrecognizable.”
“How easy is it that the police do not have to do anything for that themselves?”
The police make frequent use of images of doorbell cameras, such as an explosion or a robbery. You are even obliged to cooperate if the police claim the camera images. “For the police it is of course super handy when investigating or as evidence,” says De Winter. “How easy is it that they don’t have to do anything for that themselves?”
Images may not be stored for long. “You can keep them temporarily, but you can’t keep them with the aim of coming back to it much later.” Dutch Data Protection Authority recommends removing the images as soon as you no longer need them, for example after 24 hours.
