A VIDEO camera door bell could land a Thame homeowner with a £100,000 court bill – after a judge ruled that the CCTV-enabled device breached his neighbour’s privacy.
The judge at Oxford County Court decided the use of the Ring doorbell by Jon Woodward broke data protection laws and amounted to harassment of neighbour Dr Mary Fairhurst, the Daily Mail reported.
Dr Fairhurst, who argued that the CCTV devices put her under ‘continuous visual surveillance’ and said Mr Woodward had become aggressive when she complained about the cameras, could be paid more than £100,000.
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Following the hearing, Mr Woodward, 45, told the Mail: “To now be told these are harassment devices feels like a joke and I myself feel like I am being harassed. Many of my neighbours have cameras and smart doorbells.”
Amazon UK, which owns the Ring doorbell brand, urged its customers to respect their neighbours’ privacy and comply with ‘any applicable laws’. Features had been installed on the devices aimed at ensuring others’ privacy, including limits on areas where movement could be detected and the camera switched on.
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