Can my employer videotape everything we say and do? 05-13-2009

My employer is having a new security system installed that not only visually records daily activities but also records audio information. Isn't that a violation of privacy?

Ann Kiernan replies:

You bet it is! It is also illegal wiretapping! (The only legal way out is to have everybody who works there or comes into the premises sign a written agreement giving permission for the audiotaping.)

If the video is silent, such as those produced by the surveillance cameras in banks, it's not a wiretap, but there may be a violation of privacy rights, depending on where the cameras are located. Restroom and locker room cameras have been held to be illegal - and even criminal - in some cases.

Information here is correct at the time it is posted. Case decisions cited here may be reversed. Please do not rely on this information without consulting an attorney first.