Expectation of Privacy in 'Public'

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The only time I did something like this was when I was selling my house and I would watch the Ring camera footage and see all the conversations potential buyers would have on the front porch after touring. I didn't feel bad because the camera was so obvious and everyone knows about Ring doorbells.

Learn anything that helped your sale?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's not illegal. There is no legal expectation of privacy in a public space. But it is super creepy to spy on the neighbors like that. Just because something is legal and easy doesn't make it a good choice.

No damage or thievery, why even listen. That's intrusive. The Rivian owner reminds me of a kid who snooped for Christmas presents or read a friend's or sibling's diary. Now he lives with the consequences. If he starts trouble over it, I doubt most neighbors will take his side. Because they'll know he's creeping on them too.

I had exterior cameras for a specific stalker related issue. I told my neighbors about them and I just fast forwarded through any neighbor content.

If it's a private lot is it a public space?

[Anonymous]

Any truth to the things he heard? If no, then you know how fake that relationship can be. You can confront and prove the person is wrong. Or don't bother interacting with him. If yes, are the truth too much to admit? If the person is right, why bother confronting.

[Anonymous]

A conversation outside someone's house is private? News to me. They could have easily be in their backyard or somewhere else and overheard the conversation.

That said, I hate confrontation (despite being a lawyer) so I likely wouldn't say anything to the person.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My friend lives in DC and has a parking spot in the shared alley behind their house. It's a bit like a small parking lot where 3 or 4 neighbors have spots as well. He owns a Rivian, which has 24 hour cameras mounted on the car.

I think most people have no idea they are being recorded when they are near one and, despite being in 'public', I think most people would assume a conversation they had with their spouse in an empty parking lot would be private. Well, he 'caught' a neighbor sh*t talking about him and now he can't let go of it. He showed me the recording and it was a pretty brutal take down. But, now he wants to confront the guy.

I'm telling him that's insane, right? Possibly even illegal, no?

I think it's super weird that he was even listening to the recordings. Has he always been mentally ill or is this an affliction that developed later in life? Which personality disorder does he have?

Yes, this. I have a Rivian as well and while it lives in a garage I have been tons of places in public where people have been standing near my car and not once as it ever occurred to me to go listen to the recordings to see if I caught anything interesting.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Am I the only one who had to look up a Rivian?

Yes you are.

Really? We own one so obviously I'm more aware of them than normal but I see them all over the place (we live in VA. maybe they're a bit big for DC). I'm also stopped all the time in parking lots and even while driving (at red lights) when people ask me how I like it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Well, I certainly get why the neighbors were talking about him. Your friend sounds like a creep.

This. The recording is probably legal but if the guy think he's going to "win" an argument with the neighbor here, he's wrong. The neighbor's comments about your friend were ALSO legal and likely totally justified, given how your friend is handling this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Well, I certainly get why the neighbors were talking about him. Your friend sounds like a creep.

This. The recording is probably legal but if the guy think he's going to "win" an argument with the neighbor here, he's wrong. The neighbor's comments about your friend were ALSO legal and likely totally justified, given how your friend is handling this.

Good example of why you shouldn't stick your nose where it doesn't belong. If the Rivian friend hadn't listened to the conversation, which he had absolutely no reason to listen to and is a violation of privacy even if not illegal, he wouldn't be upset.

He's caused his own problem here and the neighbor who was smack talking him has done nothing wrong.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My friend lives in DC and has a parking spot in the shared alley behind their house. It's a bit like a small parking lot where 3 or 4 neighbors have spots as well. He owns a Rivian, which has 24 hour cameras mounted on the car.

I think most people have no idea they are being recorded when they are near one and, despite being in 'public', I think most people would assume a conversation they had with their spouse in an empty parking lot would be private. Well, he 'caught' a neighbor sh*t talking about him and now he can't let go of it. He showed me the recording and it was a pretty brutal take down. But, now he wants to confront the guy.

I'm telling him that's insane, right? Possibly even illegal, no?

I think it's super weird that he was even listening to the recordings. Has he always been mentally ill or is this an affliction that developed later in life? Which personality disorder does he have?

Yes, this. I have a Rivian as well and while it lives in a garage I have been tons of places in public where people have been standing near my car and not once as it ever occurred to me to go listen to the recordings to see if I caught anything interesting.

Do you plan to try out that Rivian feature now?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's not illegal. There is no legal expectation of privacy in a public space. But it is super creepy to spy on the neighbors like that. Just because something is legal and easy doesn't make it a good choice.

No damage or thievery, why even listen. That's intrusive. The Rivian owner reminds me of a kid who snooped for Christmas presents or read a friend's or sibling's diary. Now he lives with the consequences. If he starts trouble over it, I doubt most neighbors will take his side. Because they'll know he's creeping on them too.

I had exterior cameras for a specific stalker related issue. I told my neighbors about them and I just fast forwarded through any neighbor content.

If it's a private lot is it a public space?

Lots of places that are privately owned are still considered “public” for the purposes of this. Restaurants and stores can be privately owned, our neighborhood pool and playground are privately owned. They are still in “public.”

[Anonymous]

Some states have a policy they both parties have to agree to being recorded on a telephone. I don't know if this includes video but if it does then your paranoid friend could be in trouble.

[Anonymous]

Anyone who drives a giant truck in DC is going to have sh*t talked about them.

How does an owner of a Rivian not know this?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You are recorded everywhere. How do you not know this? A conversation held in public is not private. Nothing is private anymore.

You are totally wrong. It’s illegal to record voices; it’s been part of Maryland law forever.

Are all of you mere children, who don’t remember Linda Tripp?

Linda Tripp was indicted in Maryland for illegally recording a voice telephone conversation with Monica Lewinsky without Lewinsky’s consent. Tripp secretly taped conversations with Lewinsky after Lewinsky revealed a sexual relationship with President Bill Clinton. Tripp's actions were illegal because they violated Maryland's wiretapping laws.

OP: your Rivian-owning friend is going to prison over what he did !

So what about Ring cameras, etc. those record voices. are those illegal in Maryland?

It's the public vs. private things. You can't go into someone's home and secretly record them without their consent. You have a reasonable expectation of privacy INSIDE your home or office. That expectation doesn't apply outside. Outside of your house = public as far as the law in concerned.

However, there have been some successful video with audio recording challenges in MD. The context of the conversation matters. If the conversation held in public was deemed to be private and confidential in nature and was illegally recorded, then the Rivian owner could get in trouble.

Just another aspect showing how our legal system has failed to keep up with technological changes adequately enough.

Maryland is a very backward state, but it has been slowly pulled, kicking and screaming like a toddler, into the digital era:

[Anonymous]

I don't know why so many people are talking about MD law, but DC is a one party consent state. In DC, you can be recorded in public OR IN PRIVATE as long as the person doing the recording knows it's happening.

[Anonymous]

That's awesome. I know most new cars have cameras and honestly I believe and mean everything I say. Sounds like the insulted neighbour needs to grow some balls.