Hidden home surveillance cameras. Are they legal?

To stay safe at home we can resort to different means. One of the most used lately is the installation of hidden surveillance cameras for the home. However, its use is not legal in all situations. Do you want to know what they are?

At home we have both people and goods that are important to us, and it is normal for us to look for ways to achieve comprehensive security. For this reason, in recent years video surveillance systems have become fashionable.

What we must never forget is that capturing images constitutes personal data. We have to be careful with the regulations regarding data protection.

To avoid confusion, it is first necessary to know differentiate between private recordings and video surveillance. They are private recordings if they are made for private purposes, either in a public or private space.

Video surveillance is recording made for security purposes in public places. For example, a camera installed on a street by the State Security Forces and Bodies or a camera that records what happens in a business.

Now, if the camera is inside a private home, it is not considered video surveillance but private recording.

 

Is it legal to install hidden surveillance cameras in a house?

The installation and recording with a hidden camera at home will be legal or illegal depending on the purpose pursued with it.

If a lawful purpose is sought, such as improving home security, it is totally legal as long as the recordings are not used for any other purpose than to prove that a crime has been committed.

What is totally illegal is the placement of hidden cameras in intimate spaces such as a bathroom. Here we teach you how to detect a spy camera.

 

When should hidden home surveillance cameras be installed?

In most of the cases in which a hidden camera is installed, it is done to control the employees. For example, if there is a domestic worker or a babysitter at home.

However, the recordings obtained in these cases will not be legal if the worker has not been previously informed that they are being recorded.

Although it is a private address, for the employee it is her workplace, so he must be informed if recordings are being made.

Another reason to install hidden cameras is to get evidence that someone is committing a crime in the home, for example abusing a minor. In these cases, logically, there will be no need to inform about the installation of the camera.

Do hidden home surveillance cameras serve as valid evidence in court?

If the hidden camera It has been used in compliance with the requirements established to consider that its use is legal, the images that it has captured can be used in court without any problem.

In those cases in which the use of the camera is illegal, the captured images may serve as proof that the camera was being misused in breach of with current legislation.

There are not a few cases in which the recordings have served to condemn precisely the person who installed the WIFI spy camera. In Spain there are several cases of people convicted of recording images of their relatives in the bathroom.

What does the jurisprudence say about spy cameras at home?

The phenomenon of recording in private homes is newer than it seems, so the legislation has not yet clearly resolved it.

The jurisprudence has determined that the recordings made on public roads and in work spaces are legal and valid as evidence if the installation of cameras has been notified and they do not point to places where they could affect to the privacy of people (a bathroom, a changing room, etc.)

When it comes to installing spy cameras at home, acceptance as evidence by the courts is somewhat more complex.

In many cases they are not admitted as evidence as they are recordings made without the consent of the protagonist. However, the judges agree that exceptions should be made.

Thus, a recording made with a spy camera in a home is admitted as evidence if the recording does not violate any constitutional right, if the content demonstrates that there is a crime and furthermore there is no other way to prove that this crime was being committed.

A topic that continues to generate controversy

As you have been able to verify, the lack of a specific regulation on this subject means that the courts are the ones that have to resolve on a case-by-case basis whether the recordings made with spy cameras are they legal or not.

If you are thinking of installing one at home, it is recommended that you only use it if you suspect that a crime is being committed. Also, keep in mind that the sole purpose of the recording will be to demonstrate said crime before the judicial authority, so you will not be able to broadcast it in any way.

Outside this case, the recording of third-party images can violate the data protection law and even violate the honor and privacy of people, which can lead to prison sentences.

When using spy cameras, you must always do so bearing in mind that we must pursue a purpose as legitimate as the discovery of a crime.

If what you want is to control employees who work at home when you are not there, it is better not to use these types of cameras. Install a video surveillance system and notify your employees that they are being recorded. If you do not do so, you will not only be penalized, but the captured images will not be legal and you will not be able to use them in court.

The 5 best hidden surveillance cameras for home

Cameraspy hidden in smoke detector

On the outside it is just a smoke detector fumes normal and ordinary, what nobody will appreciate is that inside the casing there is a lens with the capacity to record videos in high definition with a resolution of 1280 x 720 p in AVI format .

It also includes four IR LEDs that allow the camera to capture images even at night. And since it does not have a power-on warning LED, no one will realize that it is really a a camera.

The good thing is that a smoke detector can be anywhere in the house, so it goes quite unnoticed. You choose if you want it to work with its internal battery (it has an autonomy of 90 minutes) or if you prefer to have the device connected to the electrical network for unlimited autonomy. And it can record both in continuous mode and be activated only in case of detecting movement.

Once the recording spy device is installed in its place, you don't have to worry about anything else, because all the configuration can be done from its mobile app. You can vary the frame rate, change the light settings and whatever you need. In addition, the software allows you to connect up to four cameras at the same time so you don't miss anything that happens in your home.

This hidden spy camera includes a P2P WiFi module , so you can connect a mobile within the range of the signal and thus see live what the camera is capturing device. And since it includes a spy microphone, you can also listen to everything that happens.

Spy camera hidden in an air freshener

The more normal and ordinary the object in which a spy camera is hidden, the more difficult it is for it to be discovered, because nobody is going to imagine that something as simple as an air freshener could have hidden a recording device.

This time it is a device made in Europe with the best quality technology, so you can see the image with the same quality as if you were in the place where the that the events you are recording are unfolding.

Inside the spy air freshener there is a camera capable of capturing images at 1280 x 720 p resolution, although if you need it you can also adjust the resolution to 720 x 480 and 640 x 480 p. You can capture images continuously or by motion detection. And since it includes a PIR sensor, it can also be activated only when it detects the presence of people and not other movements.

Its 11,100 mAh internal battery offers a range of up to 55 days if used in PIR mode and 50 hours in continuous recording mode, making it one of the the hidden surveillance cameras for the home with greater autonomy without having to be connected to the electrical current.

It also includes a microphone with a range of up to five meters and all configuration is done through a remote control.

You will not be able to buy this camouflaged hidden camera anywhere other than Espiamos, because we are exclusive distributors for Spain of the Stealth Tronic brand.

Camera camouflaged in a plant

Surely no one is going to pay too much attention to aplastic plant, and precisely for this reason this hidden device is one of your best options if you want to know what is happening when you are not at home.

No one will be surprised to see a plant of this type in the living room, at the entrance or even in a bedroom, because they are widely used in decoration. What no one will suspect is that inside the plant there is a lens capable of capturing video at 1920 x 1080 p at 30 FPS with two recording modes, continuous mode and motion detection activation mode.

With a autonomy of up to four hours, with this camera you can take both videos and photos, and it also includes a spy microphone so you don't miss anything that happens in the stay.

Thanks to its app you can configure it in just a few minutes and access the recorded files and even view the images in real time. In addition, you can choose whether the recorded videos are stored only on the spy device (supports SD cards up to 64 GB) or also on your mobile, thus making sure you have a backup.

Note: This surveillance camera is a custom product. If you want more information contact us.

 

Micro spy camera with PIR sensor

The micro spy camera with PIR sensor is so small that it is very easy to hide anywhere. It can be hidden in a pot, on a shelf among the books, and even in a doll.

All the configuration is done easily from its mobile app, allowing you to access and download all the videos and images captured on the mobile without having to manipulate the camera once. once it is already in the chosen location. In addition, since it has a WiFi connection you can see the images in real time.

The recorded data can be saved on a micro SD card of up to 512 GB, and to prevent it from wasting more battery and running out of memory quickly, you can configure it so that instead of continuous recording mode it makes use of its PIR sensor and only record when it detects that there are people in the room.

Spy camera with WiFi hidden in weather station

We are all interested in knowing what the weather is going to be like, so weather stations are a fairly common element in homes, especially those of the most tech-savvy. Therefore, this spy camera is capable of going completely unnoticed.

Externally it is a weather station that works completely normally marking temperature, humidity, lunar phase, time, date and weather forecast, but inside the device hides a camera capable of capturing images in Full HD with a resolution of 1920 x 1080p.

It can be used to capture videos, photos and also as a voice recorder, and the best thing is that it does not require any kind of installation. Just put it on a shelf or other piece of furniture and it's ready to start doing its job.

All configuration is done easily throughof its app, and since it is a spy camera with WiFi you can see and listen from your mobile and in real time what is happening as long as you are within the range of the WiFi network.

With unlimited autonomy, you can use this spy device in continuous recording mode or configure it so that it only activates when it detects movement. In any case, the files will be saved on your memory card (micro SD supported up to 512 GB).