Laws vary wildly, but general trends exist:

Disclaimer: This is not legal advice. Consult local ordinances before installing.

Home security cameras offer peace of mind—watching over packages, deterring intruders, and checking in on pets or kids. But as they multiply, so do questions about who’s watching, what’s recorded, and where that footage ends up.

Here’s what you need to know to protect both your home and your privacy.

Audio recording is exponentially more invasive than video. A video shows what happened; audio captures what was said. Unless you are specifically documenting verbal threats or domestic incidents, disable audio recording on outdoor cameras.

The legal trouble begins when your camera trespasses into private spaces—spaces where a person has a reasonable expectation of privacy. This includes:

A critical note on audio: Federal law (18 U.S.C. § 2511) and many state laws prohibit the secret recording of private conversations. If your security camera records audio of a neighbor talking on their porch, and you are not a party to that conversation, you may be violating wiretapping laws.