Cameras Hidden People Install Ability Care Allowed States

"Hidden cameras" are cameras that are "hidden" (cannot be seen) for "surveillance" (the ability to see and/or hear what other people are doing when they don't know they are being observed). Traditionally, hidden cameras were used for "espionage" (spying; learning secret information, especially about the government), but today some people use them for "household" (related to the home) surveillance when they want to find out what other family members or visitors are doing when the homeowner is not at home. For example, some people want to install hidden cameras to "spy on" (secretly see what someone is doing) a "babysitter" (a person who takes care of another person's children) and see whether he or she is taking good care of the children.

Are hidden cameras "legal" (allowed by the laws)? The laws "vary by state" (are different in each state). In thirteen states, hidden cameras are illegal in places where people have a "reasonable" (logical and fair) expectation of "privacy" (doing things without being observed), such as bathrooms and "dressing rooms" (small rooms in stores where people try on clothes to know whether they fit). In other states, hidden cameras are allowed in these and other places.

Some employers want to install hidden cameras in the "workplace" (offices and other places where people work) so that they can know what their employees are doing "on the job" (while they are being paid to work). Often the employers try to get legal "permission" (the right or ability to do something) to install hidden cameras, so that if they record any unlawful activities, those "tapes" (recorded video) will be "admissible" (allowed to be seen and used) in "court" (where legal decisions are made).