A Word Please

Do we have a reasonable expectation of privacy? And, if so, what exactly does that mean?

Those of us who tend to be camera shy might still be able to slip away from the crazy friend with the camera phone. But we can’t escape those same camera phones held by the creepy guy two tables away at the restaurant or the MySpace addict at the party who posts everything on her page. Like it or not, our mug shots could end up just about anywhere.

And what about the cameras that are appearing on every traffic light and are stuck to the side of every business? And the cameras that follow you around Target and Wal-Mart? In an average day, you could star in any number of videos.

I have to admit that I don’t normally give this much thought. The intrusion of cameras into our everyday lives has been a subtle, though steady, occurrence. For the most part, we don’t see them. Out of sight, out of mind. We do still have our privacy. Right?

Then I recently shopped at a store that shall remain nameless. (Can they sue me for talking about them, while they invade my privacy? I don’t know.) I needed to try a few things on. As I walked into the dressing room area, I noticed a small plaque on the wall with even smaller writing. I’m a reader. I read everything. So I stopped and read the plaque.

This fine print told me that their dressing rooms are monitored by video cameras, with a person viewing at all times. This gave me pause. Honestly, pause is not nearly strong enough. I was furious. Video cameras and people watching me undress? Seriously? How did this become okay?

I’ve adapted to cameras watching me cross intersections and following me around stores. However, the two places I always assumed fell under the ‘reasonable expectation of privacy’ rule are dressing rooms and bathrooms. If cameras are now filming my striptease, are they also watching to see whether I wash my hands after I pee?

This is not okay with me. I’m not hung up about nudity. Nor am I hung up about my body. But if I am going to strip for someone, I want to choose who that someone is. I also want to be told outright, not discover it through fine print.

A small plaque with smaller writing that most people walk right by is not acceptable. When does reasonable expectation of privacy cross the line into blatant intrusion of privacy? If all it takes to monitor someone’s private moments is small print stuck in an obscure spot, then privacy has become nothing more than an illusion.

Tags: cameras, laws, privacy, privacy laws, videos