A man found that his neighbor's outdoor camera was pointing into his property, and internet users have been quick to share their thoughts on the matter.
Reddit user wanabepilot shared a photo of a camera allegedly pointing into his yard, showing the small black device pointing backward to where to poster claims his property is.
The post sparked a conversation among other Reddit users, receiving 32,000 upvotes and over 7,000 comments.
Etiquette trainer and founder of Clise Etiquette, Arden Clise told Newsweek that the person who shared the photo should have a conversation with their neighbor "before assuming the camera is surveilling your back yard".
"It's good to get to know our neighbors at the very least," she said. " Very calmly and politely mention you noticed they installed a new video camera on the side of their house.
"Then be curious: 'I'm curious what made you put it up where it is.' Let the person explain. It may have nothing to do with your back yard.
"If it turns out it is pointed into your back yard, again be curious. 'Oh, what are you watching for?' If it truly is meant to surveil your back yard, you can ask them to please take it down, that it makes you uncomfortable that they are watching your back yard. They may not agree and then you have to decide if it's worth a fight to get it taken down."
Smart security cameras are becoming increasingly popular for homeowners and renters around the world. In 2023, over 98 million people had smart security cameras in their homes, a number that is expected to grow to more than 180 million in 2027.
The Global Consumer Survey by Statista found that 38 percent of Americans are worried about home safety. Meanwhile, 25 percent are worried about being spied on via such devices.
In the U.S., there are no laws directly prohibiting someone from pointing a camera into someone else's back yard. However, the Fourth Amendment of the Constitution outlines the right to an "expectation of privacy." So it is illegal to have a camera recording someone where a high level of privacy is expected, such as a bedroom or bathroom, but not a yard.
Reddit users were quick to take part in the conversation sparked by the photo in the comments section of the post.
949CPL shared: "We had a neighbor who had one pointed right at our bedroom window. First I put up a sign in the window saying, 'No Free Shows.' Then I purchased a very powerful IR floodlight. Put it in our window. The camera was taken down shortly after."
Another, SuperHooligan said: "I'd put something up that moves a lot so they get a notification every 10 seconds."
"I have a camera on the side of my house, overlooking my side gate. It also overlooks my neighbor's side gate. You can also see into his yard. I put up a privacy filter, so I cannot see anything," shared 10PieceMcNuggetMeal.
"Once, someone broke into his back yard and stole a bunch of his yard equipment. So, he comes over and asks me if I caught anything on camera. At first, I thought he was gonna be pissed at me, but nope. He was actually hoping I caught the guy on camera.
"I felt so bad, man. But then he said he'd be cool with me filming his back yard since he trusts me. I told him I wasn't comfortable with that, but I'd adjust the privacy filter so he could see who was coming in his gate. We both agreed on that."
Another, GrenexRed, advised that the person who posted the photo should "approach the neighbor and ask to see what the camera view captures before assuming it is violating privacy."
They wrote: "My side yard is shared with my neighbor's house and I wanted a camera on my house to cover the side yard and back fence gate. When I installed it, I was concerned they would feel it was a privacy issue.
"I went to the neighbors to show them the view on my phone app to ensure them it was not capturing their house or back yard. The angle of the view can be deceiving until seen from the actual feed of the cam. They were very appreciative of my thoughtful effort."
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