Hidden Camera: unlawful to video tape w/o consent/notification?

[delicaterose617]

What would you do if your Managment team put a hidden camera in the break room try and catch some one that is stealing others food and such,but didnt tell any one?

Isn't that breaking some type of privacy law?

example
I understand that in some instance when someone places a hidden camera in a house to catch a house keeper or a nanny or home health aide, but at the work place???:

[mccoyred]

Originally Posted by delicaterose617

What would you do if your Managment team put a hidden camera in the break room try and catch some one that is stealing others food and such,but didnt tell any one?

Isn't that breaking some type of privacy law?

example
I understand that in some instance when someone places a hidden camera in a house to catch a house keeper or a nanny or home health aide, but at the work place???:

Its a public place with no reasonable expectation of privacy.

[f8nacn]

It's always better to assume that there are cameras everywhere...keeps us honest.

[christiangirl]

Considering someone threw my food away in the breakroom yestserday (only 4 hours old and with my name on it), this would have come in handy. However, I don't think I'd like the idea as a whole. I work in a hospital, so we're already on camera 24/7 unless we're in the bathroom or the breakroom. If they put in more cameras without telling anyone, I think it would probably break laws and we'd be pissed that the teensy bit of privacy that we think we have is gone, but no one would actually sue. I think that was the plan--the hospital pays us so little that, if we wanted to sue it, we couldn't afford to.

[socialite]

Well there's always the idea of telling the employees there is camera and letting it grow into a big deal only to install a camera shaped box with a little red light on it... That is much more practical I would think and as far as I know a much more common-place practice, so maybe its not an actual camera?

[KAPital PHINUst]

I personally think that such surveillance cameras is one of the many steps down a slippery slippery slope to this:



This is 2008, not 1984.

[delicaterose617]

ChristianGirl: yes.. I work at the hospital. I know that there are camera around the campus... on the outside, or even hallways.... but not actually on the unit.

Socialite: that is true. It wouldn't hold its true potential if everyone knew, but at the same respect, usually public places are suppose to warn you...The same way we get warnings in dept stores, gas stations ect.

ETA: okay I posted that before I REALLY read Mccoyred post......

is a hospital considered public or private property....

because a dept store, anyone can visit.. but there its more so what is your reason....

Nonetheless, Thank you all for your responses...

[RedefinedDiva]

^^^ Public v. Private has nothing to do with the fact that anyone can use it or if there is lots of traffic in or out. A dept. store is actually private because it is privately owned, among other reasons. Plus, those warnings aren't there to make you feel warm and fuzzy. They are actually there to act as a deterrance to stealing, etc. A hospital is a public place, as public funds/tax dollars fund it. It's not actually owned by anyone.

Anyway, you have no reasonable expectation of privacy at your place of employment. They don't have to warn you or seek approval.