Many of us would like to think of our bedrooms as a safe, private space. And they should be. For one woman, this was not the case. She discovered a phone hidden between her stuffed animals in her closet one morning. She’d just come out of the shower, and it turned out the phone had been recording for several minutes.

At first, the woman was shocked and confused. But when she realized it was her stepfather’s phone, her whole world got turned upside down. The 20-year-old has since gone online to seek advice. She’s wondering whether she should let her stepdad off the hook for his alcoholic “mishap”. Or whether she is justified in feeling violated beyond forgiveness. She needs to know if family should come first in a case like this.

Mobile phone cameras have made easier than ever to record people, places and things without anyone ever knowing

Image credits: Nicholas Ng (not the actual photo)

But doing so, without someone’s knowledge or consent is a serious violation of privacy and can land you in serious trouble

Image credits: Andrew Patrick Photo (not the actual photo)

Image credits: Fernanda Latronico (not the actual photo)

Image credits: One_Yogurt_253

When it comes to recording other people, it’s best to practice common sense and of course, decency

Laws regarding consent and privacy differ from country to country, and even within different states. In the U.S. it’s generally okay to record people in a public space. But if you are recording someone in an area where there’s an expectation of privacy, like a bedroom, bathroom, or changing room, and you don’t have their consent, you need to check yourself. And if you have to ask yourself if it’s okay, it very likely isn’t.

As the VideoProc site notes, “if the recording is being made for legitimate purposes, such as gathering evidence of a crime or documenting a newsworthy event, it may be considered lawful. However, if the recording is being made for malicious or voyeuristic reasons, it is more likely to be considered illegal.”

The site further notes that the concept of “reasonable expectation of privacy” deals with the idea that people have “a right to be free from unwanted intrusion or surveillance in places or situations where they would reasonably expect to be private.” Basically, if someone has a “reasonable expectation of privacy”, there’s a high chance you could be breaking the law by recording them without their consent.

Even if the law allows for recording in a particular space or setting, the key is to respect people’s privacy. Maybe ask yourself “how would I feel if the camera was in the other hand in this situation?”

Illegal recordings can carry a criminal charges, hefty fines, and even land you behind bars

Image credits: Markus Winkler (not the actual photo)

Earlier this year, police arrested a 34-year-old man after he was found recording women in the changing rooms of H&M in Sawgrass Mills mall in Sunrise. He was charged with two counts of digital voyeurism. It later emerged that he had done something similar at Target in Fort Lauderdale. Kenneth Constantine’s arrest came as a shock to those who knew him. He’s a well-known personal trainer and fitness influencer, and also took part in American Ninja Warrior.

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In October, a 24-year-old man from Atlanta was arrested for illegally recording women and girls in a church bathroom. Investigators say Ramon Ochoa Garcia “put a small pen camera into a vent to record people in the women’s bathroom at World Mission Society Church in Bloomingdale.” He was charged with unauthorized video recording of a person under 18 and unauthorized video recording without consent. Police believe he’d been doing this since August.

“Alcohol does not make people predators”: Netizens advised the woman to go to the police, saying her stepdad’s actions were both “creepy” and “criminal”

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