Are dashboard video cameras legal??
Just heard a (unconfirmed) report that some lawyers are trying to sue users of dashboard cameras for "invasion of Privacy". because the cameras can record license plates and private information such a...
Forum Discussion
As a professional photographer who has had to deal with the issue of photos taken in public as well as what can or can't be done with them, but not a lawyer (Official disclaimer here: nothing I say should be construed as legal advice, etc.) I can tell you that in the US, anything you can see from the public right-of-way without using "extraordinary" equipment is perfectly legal to photograph. There are right of privacy/right of publicity restrictions on what you can do with the photos, however.
By "extraordinary equipment," I mean that you can't use a monster telephoto lens to peer into somebody's living room from 2 miles away, or hire a cherry-picker to look over the 10 foot fence in their backyard.
So the OP's query about the legality of dashboard cameras brings up no issues for me. I would have no fear of getting in trouble with any sort of standard dashboard camera, and while I would hire a lawyer to defend me should I get sued for recording either someone's license number or number of persons in a car, I would also not give a second's thought to the possibility of losing such a lawsuit.
Because, as @obgraham said, you can sue anybody you want for anything you want. But winning a judgement or actually collecting damages are another matter entirely. And I would anticipate the judge being sympathetic to a summary judgment with prejudice against anyone bringing an invasion of privacy suit for recording their license number as they drove down the public street. (A summary judgement with prejudice means that the issue is so ridiculous that the court finds no evidence or trial is even necessary, and don't under any circumstances attempt to bring such a suit to this court ever again. More or less.)
As for the camera over a bathroom stall, even if the stall is in a public building or facility such as a park, there ARE laws most places that spell out such a camera is specifically illegal. I know that here in Virginia, there is a specific law that makes it illegal to photograph anyone in a bathroom stall or a bathhouse changing room or a store dressing/fitting room in any state of undress whatever. But the law does not invoke any right of privacy, it just forbids taking photos there.
By "extraordinary equipment," I mean that you can't use a monster telephoto lens to peer into somebody's living room from 2 miles away, or hire a cherry-picker to look over the 10 foot fence in their backyard.
So the OP's query about the legality of dashboard cameras brings up no issues for me. I would have no fear of getting in trouble with any sort of standard dashboard camera, and while I would hire a lawyer to defend me should I get sued for recording either someone's license number or number of persons in a car, I would also not give a second's thought to the possibility of losing such a lawsuit.
Because, as @obgraham said, you can sue anybody you want for anything you want. But winning a judgement or actually collecting damages are another matter entirely. And I would anticipate the judge being sympathetic to a summary judgment with prejudice against anyone bringing an invasion of privacy suit for recording their license number as they drove down the public street. (A summary judgement with prejudice means that the issue is so ridiculous that the court finds no evidence or trial is even necessary, and don't under any circumstances attempt to bring such a suit to this court ever again. More or less.)
As for the camera over a bathroom stall, even if the stall is in a public building or facility such as a park, there ARE laws most places that spell out such a camera is specifically illegal. I know that here in Virginia, there is a specific law that makes it illegal to photograph anyone in a bathroom stall or a bathhouse changing room or a store dressing/fitting room in any state of undress whatever. But the law does not invoke any right of privacy, it just forbids taking photos there.
