Is it legal for a private company to spy on its employees with hidden cameras?

Answer 1

Yes. It absolutely is. The Bill of Rights only protects you from the abuses by the government, not from other citizens (including corporations). The only exception would be if they're filming you in the bathroom or something like that, or if there are additional government regulations that cover you, like equal opportunity acts, and that would be a civil case. The thought is that you agreed to work for them and you can always find work elsewhere if you don't agree with their policies and practices.

Answer 2

Where have you ben that this is new to you? With the cameras at work you can get a closeup if the car is parked in the right place in the lot of....... Look at the ign down the road to se what the gas prices are. We have alot of cameras around work. Some companies even have wireless ones so that they can move them randomly around the building. Except in places like restrooms and dress rooms you are fair game. No you do not have to be told about it. Do you feel you need to be told that they are looking for shoplifters with them in stores.

Answer 3

For the most part the answer is yes. Where they can get into trouble (besides the obvious "bathroom" stuff) is how they use it. If they see unsafe practices, outright violations of the law or company policy it can be used to discipline or fire your butt. They cannot use it for performance evaluations. They have to document you screwing off 30 minutes of every hour, or not accomplishing your duties correctly by other means.

Answer 4

It might depend on the country you live in. I don't think it's a practise in the country I live in , I think that the employer has to tell the workers that there may be a camera in the work place, doesn't matter if there isn't probably keep the workers honest anyway.

Answer 5

within their property or leading up to it ie their doors in and out then yes I believe so BUT no place an have cameras in the bathroom, this is covered by a certain law.

Cameras are very common place within the work environment these days whether you are aware of them or not, usually they do post signs that you are being watched.

Where are the the cameras and what sort of business is it?

Answer 6

Sounds like fun! I want this spying job. I wonder what people do at their desks when they think no one is watching: pick their noses? scratch themselves? Talk to themselves? That'd be a great job--you'd find out a lot about people. But truthfully, probably not illegal, but sounds unethical.

Answer 7

Is your boss spying on you? Probably! According to a recent study by the National Workrights Institute, 92 percent of employers conducted some form of workplace monitoring.


Hidden Cameras in the Workplace

The idea of Hidden Cameras in the workplace is a relatively new one. Companies that are concerned with the on-the-job activities of their employees can get legal permission to install Hidden Cameras; however, without such legal permission to install the cameras, any findings from the surveillance tapes would be useless in enforcing disciplinary measures as stern as dismissal.

In a recent example, In July of 2005, a 2-1 panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit upheld a finding that the Anheuser-Busch committed an unfair labor practice when it installed hidden cameras in 1998 before bargaining with the union, as required under federal labor laws. The brewer had fired five workers in 1998 after Hidden Cameras showed the employees smoking marijuana in an area where workers sometimes take breaks at one of its St. Louis facilities. The example of the Anheuser-Busch case is relevant because that it touches upon all relevant issues surrounding not only privacy, but also privacy and surveillance in the workplace.

Anheuser-Busch argued that the cameras were a matter of internal security and that employees should not be awarded the expectation of privacy in the elevator, in motors room or the rooftop, which were not official break areas.

The NLRB (National Labor Relations Board) has allowed Hidden Cameras in the workplace for a long period of time, only demanding that the company bargains with the union prior to installation. However, the company does not have to say where the cameras are placed, thus allowing most or all of them to be hidden.

Despite the protection from Hidden Cameras that labor members may get, small-office employees and other non-union workers have very little they can say in opposition to such issues. Due to the absence of legal precedent in this area, small business owners and mid-level managers of large companies are able to get away with just about anything they want. While there is a common law of privacy in every state, such laws are very rarely used in surveillance cases, especially those pertaining to an employee’s conduct while on the job. The way the law stands that this very moment, an employer can for the most part put a Hidden Camera anywhere (including the restroom), and there's little, if anything, that anyone can do about it.

All About Hidden Camera Laws
Hidden Camera Laws

A private place is defined as a location where a person expects to be safe from unauthorized surveillance.

The most video recordings in the United States are legal with or without consent; however, several laws do exist regarding "Invasion of Privacy," which deals with the concept of expected privacy. This idea of “expected privacy” includes areas such as bathrooms, locker rooms, changing and dressing rooms, bedrooms, and other areas where a person may expect a certain level of personal privacy.

Most of the laws dealing with video recording privacy issues tend to allow covert recording and monitoring of video activity under most circumstances without notification of any of the parties involved, it is recommended that prior to use of a Hidden Camera, you consult with your local law enforcement or an attorney who is knowledgeable in the area. This insures that despite a general understanding of the law, you are in fact complying with all local and federal regulations prior to utilization of video surveillance or monitoring.

The laws in thirteen states expressly prohibit the unauthorized installation or use of cameras in "private" places. These states include: Alabama, Arkansas, California, Delaware, Georgia, Hawaii, Kansas, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, New Hampshire, South Dakota, and Utah. In these states, the installation or use of any device for photographing, observing or eavesdropping actions or audio in a "private" place without permission of those being observed or listened to is a crime punishable by law. Some states also prohibit trespassing on private property to conduct unauthorized surveillance of people there. These states include: Alabama, Delaware, Georgia, Hawaii, Kansas, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, South Dakota, and Utah. In most of these states, the unauthorized installation or use of Hidden Cameras (those that are seen as violating ones 4th Amendment rights to privacy) is a felony offense.

Violating such laws is punishable by a $2,000.00 fine and a sentence of up to 2 years in prison

the links should help you if you need anymore information those sites have tons of info!

Answer 8

If the employees are doing their jobs they should not even care about cameras. I go to stores where cameras are used and do not even think about them. I do not NEED to worry about them.

Answer 9

It depends on the state, but in many states, yes.

See this link:

http://www.usatoday.com/tech/columnist/2001/10/18/sinrod.htm

Answer 10

If the spying is done on company property and on comapany time then it is legal. If it is done in your home then it is illegal.