Home Security System – Legal Requirements

The law is the backbone of civil order in society. No matter what facility or equipment you own and use, almost everything is regulated by law for a stable, safe, and flourishing social existence. Law ensures every member of the society has the right to safety, privacy, freedom of fair trade, justice, and all means of stability to live peacefully. It establishes standards for every social function. Thereby, the law also regulates home security just as any other matter. Thanks to ever-evolving technology- we have the latest CCTV security camera systems at our disposal to live safely in our homes. However, as responsible, law-abiding citizens, it’s our civil and moral duty to know and fulfil the legal requirements of a home security system. If no one ever told you about these laws, we’ll be shedding light upon the legal requirements you must fulfil if you own or are planning to install a home security system in your residential space. What Law Says About Home Security Systems Here are the legal rulings regarding home security systems you must adhere to: If your home security system cameras record video footage and capture images within the boundaries of your residential property, garden, garage, and front porch included- the CCTV home security regulations and laws won’t apply to you. The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the Data Protection Act (DPA) 2018 will apply in your case if you record video footage and images of nearby places beyond the boundaries of your residential property, for example, yards of your neighbours or the nearby public street. If you own a CCTV system in your private domestic property, you must ensure your home security systems comply with the laws and regulations established by the DPA and GDPR. In case of your non-compliance with the guidelines, the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICD) may carry out an appropriate legal action against you. The data protection laws (GDPR) require all CCTV home security systems to be responsible and diligent while using their systems, lest they invade other people’s privacy. The same laws grant individuals the right to access their information held by others using CCTV recording. The DPA requires all home security system owners to maintain their CCTV systems regularly for compliance with GDPR and the DPA itself. Home security system owners must register themselves with the ICO if they are willing to operate their CCTV cameras outside their personal property without the use of privacy filters and masks. The DPA requires the timestamps on your CCTV systems to be set properly and all footages to be deleted once they aren’t required anymore, within 31 days, preferably. Exceptions apply of the CCTV footage are underuse as evidence for some investigation in process. The DPA instructs disabling audio recording on the home CCTV systems as it’s a major privacy invasion. The law highly discourages that. The Bottom Line The legal requirements of a home security system strongly protect other people’s privacy and demand owners to remain transparent when they intend to extend CCTV coverage beyond their personal domestic property. The laws, in general, require CCTV owners not to use these systems for any reason other than security. Contact Eagle Security Solutions today to get legally compliant home security systems with advanced features for your domestic property.

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