No, you cannot just film the public road with a smart doorbell with camera. If you cannot avoid this, you should film as little of the street scene as possible. About the snags of filming the public road.
Why you can’t just film the public road
More and more Dutch people have a video doorbell. According to police research, there are now about half a million people with a camera next to the front door.
Owners of a smart doorbell can keep an eye on things anytime, anywhere, see who is at the door and easily chat with the parcel deliverer or concerned neighbor / wife.
However, there are a few hooks and eyes to the use of a smart doorbell. For example, you can film the public road just like that. This is because everyone in the Netherlands has the right to walk, cycle or drive along the street without prying eyes.
Law violated
Are you not following this rule? You’re not the only one. Nearly 9 out of 10 security cameras film the public question, according to the Camera in Picturedatabase of the police.
Are you guilty of this too? Then you risk a fine or a reprimand. Passers-by and neighbors can submit a complaint to the Dutch Data Protection Authority (AP), the supervisory authority that deals with privacy issues.
You will usually not be fined immediately. The AP will first tap you on the fingers and if you then take no action, further steps are taken. You then violate the privacy law.
Still film the public road with a doorbell? 4 tips
Do you want to avoid hassle? Then don’t just hang up a video doorbell, but make a plan of action. Here are 4 tips.
1. Communicate clearly
Do you live on a public road and still decide to film? Firstly, it is important to inform visitors and passers-by that you have a smart doorbell with a camera.
Many video doorbells come with some stickers that you can stick on the window. In addition, it is of course possible to take a tour of the neighbors. This is recommended anyway when the video doorbell is aimed at their houses, which is possible, for example, if you live in a small courtyard.
2. Hang up your doorbell smartly
Speaking of which, it is forbidden to film the public road for no good reason. So try to hang or attach the smart doorbell in such a way that it takes up as little of the street scene as possible.
You can, for example, use a (supplied) wall bracket for this. This means that the doorbell will hang at an angle so that it is more focused on the space in front of your front door. It is also important to limit the viewing angle of your smart doorbell as much as possible in order to film as little public road as possible.
3. Film less
Is your front door very close to the street? Then you probably cannot escape filming part of the public road. In that case, check whether your smart video doorbell can handle activity zones.
With such a function you can indicate which parts of the camera should be ignored. That way you can, for example, indicate that your smart doorbell should ignore the sidewalk, because people regularly walk past it.
Setting activity zones (also called motion zones) is a smart idea anyway, because you will receive a lot less notifications on your phone that someone is at your door.
4. Use common sense
It is an age-old advice, but it also applies to filming on public roads: treat someone else as you would like to be treated yourself. It’s not a nice thought that your neighbors point their camera fully at your front door, so don’t do this yourself. Moreover, it is also punishable.
Living month on iPhone
The whole month of May is diving iPhone in the world of living. What should you pay attention to when choosing smart lighting, what about subscriptions to smart doorbells and how (not) does Google Home work well on an iPhone? You can read all about it on iPhone.
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