My neighbour has a webcam on the front of his house so he can watch his cars out front, fine, no problem with that, but te angle of the camera is such that it also overlooks our front garden and thus all movements are potentially monitored. Whilst im not up to anything iffy, im not comfortable with this. He has some notice above his front door in an open porch stating he has CCTV, but unless you knew it was there you'd never see it.
Also my neighbour an i have, how can i put it, history and i have been advised by the police not to have any contact with him, so asking him to move it / take it down is unlikely to be met with a postive response. Where do i stand legally? Is his camera legal? Or should i just batter it off his wall and probably get done for criminal damage?

Its a fairly typical terraced street with on road parking and there are problems occasionally with random damage if its relevant.

Your thoughts please?

Anyone?

I don't get why your not happy, what's there to be bothered about?

I dont care about him having a webcam outside his gaff, but i dont like having all the ins and outs from my home recorded without my agreement. Theres enough CCTV around in the main streets without it permeating my home enviroment.

I still don't get it, wouldn't bother me but then I'm don't have any bitter resentment towards my neighbours.

My bitterness keeps we warm.
I realise im probably being irrational, but what gives anyone the right to record other peoples comings and goings?

I realise im probably being irrational, but what gives anyone the right to record other peoples comings and goings?

the law probably.

+1 what drac says, why give a shit?

I guess it's added to your security somewhat.

That's a big debate but if he's protecting his property then he has a right but should it encroach on others? Possibly not but in all honest the whole CCTV thing doesn't bother me.

Funnily enough there's a one appeared on a lamp post at the top of our street pointing to a house in the next street. No idea what it's for but Mrs seen loads of Police cars outside the house one night, they moved in just over a year ago and the house is up for sale. It's all a bit intriguing.

I realise im probably being irrational, but what gives anyone the right to record other peoples comings and goings?

You ARE being completely irrational. You're coming and going through a public space, presumably you don't go to work through a series of secured underground tunnels. Anyone could be filming you. Anyone could legally be taking photos of you doing so. In this case his camera is not doing anything illegal and you have no right to complain, privacy laws only extend to places that are not immediately visible from a public space (logically) so I'm afraid you're the one in the wrong, or rather moaning without reason.

It's a bit of a legal grey area as there are all sorts of laws pertaining to CCTV use by businesses but private home use is exempt from all that.

So it falls back to Human Rights Act or possibly the Protection from Harassment act if you feel your privacy is being violated by him filming your comings and goings.

Thoguh I have just found this:

For example, if you have a camera which is pointed directly at another person’s property or it’s suspected that it can capture part or all of a neighbour’s property, they might have a case to take action against you under legislation covered by the Human Rights Act whereby they might have sufficient grounds to say that they have had their privacy violated, that your CCTV system is tantamount to harassment and even voyeurism.

But I suspect you'd have to a) get the police to check that b) it wasn't looking into windows (rather than a drive etc) and that c) wouldn't be too nice when you have a neighbour you already don't get along with.

But the human rights act explanation says:

The Human Rights Act 1998 only binds public bodies, and not individuals, so there still is no general right to protection from invasion of privacy by other individuals in society. This means that you cannot sue your neighbour, or a private company, for invading your privacy. However, because the courts are public authorities, and so have a duty to act compatibly with the Convention rights, and because of the obligation on courts to interpret statutory law compatibly with Convention rights wherever possible, if you have some other ground to bring a claim to court, then once you are before the court you can ask the court to protect your Article 8 rights, and the court will have a duty to do so if possible.

So celebrities who consider that a newspaper has breached their privacy by publishing photographs in situation where they have a reasonable expectation of privacy have been able to go to bring an action for breach of confidence, and then ask the court, as a public authority, to protect their right to privacy. See CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION. But because of the reluctance to recognise a freestanding principle of protection from invasion of privacy, it is still necessary to pay close attention to the piecemeal protection that currently exists in general common law and different statutes in order to have a full understanding of the privacy rights you enjoy.

I just don't get it, the whole disliking being filmed thing, unless you regularly walk about naked with the curtains open.

IR laser pointed at the camera. IR is a bonus as no-one can see it but most cheap web cams don't filter it. You will blind the sensor like shining a bright light into it. Might be easier to aim using a red laser and then swapping in the IR one once you have it aimed.

Funnily enough there's a one appeared on a lamp post at the top of our street pointing to a house in the next street. No idea what it's for but Mrs seen loads of Police cars outside the house one night, they moved in just over a year ago and the house is up for sale. It's all a bit intriguing.

Hold up a sign in front of it saying Hello!

IR laser pointed at the camera. IR is a bonus as no-one can see it but most cheap web cams don't filter it. You will blind the sensor like shining a bright light into it. Might be easier to aim using a red laser and then swapping in the IR one once you have it aimed.

Making you liable for eye damage and possibly car accidents – not so smart.

Thanks for the replies chaps, i guess im just being a bit touchy, esp as i dont get on with the guy. I guess my dealing with him in the past have just made me a bit sensitive.
Anyone filming me wandering about the front room nekkid needs some serious help though!

Got my first appointment next week Bigyinn.

I guess my dealing with him in the past have just made me a bit sensitive.

I wouldn't like it either.

All these people saying 'you only have something to fear if you've got something to hide' are the ones who will have us happily sleepwalking into an Orwellian nightmare, you mark my words. 😐

grum, why do i get the feeling you are being deadly serious without a hint of irony?

At least im not alone in thinking that in general terms we are being observed too much. Yes i have NOTHING to hide, but I detest the encroachment on our personal liberty and the apparent need to have our every movement checked and monitored.
Thats one of the reasons why i like getting out on my bike and disappearing off the radar into the countryside of a weekend.

Thanks for the replies chaps, i guess im just being a bit touchy, esp as i dont get on with the guy. I guess my dealing with him in the past have just made me a bit sensitive.

Must admit that's never fun.

Anyone filming me wandering about the front room nekkid needs some serious help though!

You wouldn't believe how much websites pay for footage of you….err I mean people… 😆

Yes i have NOTHING to hide, but I detest the encroachment on our personal liberty and the apparent need to have our every movement checked and monitored.

Hardly an encroachment, he's probably never even going to review the recordings unless he gets his car damaged/stolen, so even if he was recording you coming and going it's never going to be watched. LOL at the orwellian nightmar, I just don't see why you care grum – the day they start using it for something I dont like I'll stand up and be counted, until then I am happy in the knowledge that I do nothing wrong and it's only going to help me.

I was speaking in general terms regarding the proliferation of CCTV in public places rather than my neighbours OCD with protecting his **** poxy renaults!

You see where I live theres… Oh wait not any more.

I never give it a single thought, there's been CCTV of some kind for years there's more of it but does it cause me any problems? None what so ever, it'll be a quiet day in M15 if they want to watch me.

Providing the camera main's view point is his drive then yes it is allowed…isn't ideal but it is allowed. He should make attempts to remove as much of the surrounding area as possible but it would be hard to sort out (he could move it randomly on a daily basis!) – is it possible to erect some blocks in between the gardens? Put them high enough to prevent your garden being seen? Might involve planning permission though.

How do you know if films your garden?

I plugged the camera lead into my laptop lol.
I dont, but the camera is mounted at an angle, this combined with a webcam's wide angle of view leads me to the conclusion that it does overlook the front garden.

my neighbours OCD with protecting his **** poxy renaults!

Careful, to him you're just a kid playing on your poxy bikes.

Kid? 37 is not equal to a kid!

That's coffekings point bigyinn.