According to research, one in five homes have video doorbells, allowing homeowners to monitor their property, often times remotely from a mobile phone. Video doorbells have many benefits, including checking who is outside the front door as well as making sure packages get delivered properly.
Now experts are warning owners of a video doorbell to make sure they’re compliant, otherwise they could face a fine of up to £100,000. Max Royston, director at Gaffsy, revealed the little-known rules and regulations for using CCTV in and around your home.
Firstly, owners must ensure they’re CCTV is GDPR compliant. Royston explains: “If your CCTV films or captures images of people outside of your property boundary, like a neighbour’s garden or home, shared spaces or public areas, your CCTV must be GDPR compliant.
“If it doesn’t comply, you could be subjected to action by ICO (Information Commissioner’s Office) and risk fines of up to £100,000 as well as potential legal action by any affected individuals (those appearing in your CCTV images or videos). If businesses don’t comply, they could be subjected to fines of a whopping £17.5 million.”
Next, owners must ensure the videos and data captured by the doorbell are stored correctly. Royston says: “Ensuring the data and time is correct is important, in case you need to submit videos for assessment. You’ll also need to check whether the recorded information is used for the purpose of which your system was installed.”
Whilst videos from doorbells can perform well on social media, whether it’s a package being stolen or a confrontation on a doorstep, Royston warns: “you could be infringing on privacy rights.”
It’s also important owners of video doorbells understand they are responsible for the CCTV system. “It’s your responsibility to ensure that the system is installed correctly, for all the information recorded by your system,” Royston explains. “You must also ensure that the information gathered by CCTV is not used for anything other than protecting your property.”
If you are asked to delete the videos captured by your doorbell and the request is appropriate, you should do so.
“If the CCTV footage is captured outside your property limits, you should only keep the footage for an appropriate period and delete it after a few months. You should also delete footage of neighbours if they ask, due to the GDPR rules,” Royston explains.
Finally, Royston shared some key tips all video doorbell owners should know:
- Ensure you inform your neighbours about your system
- Put a notice up to inform people recording is taking place
- Consider other options before installing a CCTV system – would extra lighting, fencing or gates work?
- Consider privacy filters to ensure you’re not filming your neighbour’s space unnecessarily
Failure to comply to GDPR and privacy rules could see homeowners finding themselves in trouble with neighbours, or worse, slammed with a fine worth thousands of pounds