They don’t fully protect you from being recorded, tracked, or having your footage handed to law enforcement. That needs to change.
Utah Law Lets You Be Recorded — Even Without Knowing It
Utah is a one-party consent state. That means:
- Anyone can legally record a conversation as long as they’re part of it.
- You don’t need to tell the other person.
- Video recordings in public spaces are fair game.
So yes, your neighbor can legally record you walking past their house. And if you’re having a conversation near their doorbell camera? That audio might also be captured.
There’s no law requiring a warning or disclosure.
In public, the courts say you don’t have a “reasonable expectation of privacy.” But what about when doorbell cameras record your kids, your guests, or your arguments?
The law has not yet caught up to these gray areas.
Police Don’t Need to Spy — Your Camera Might Do It for Them
Police departments across Utah are using private cameras to build public surveillance networks. Here’s how:
- Officers ask homeowners to share doorbell footage after a crime has occurred.
- Some departments partner with Ring and use the Neighbors app to request video in specific zones.
- If you say no, they can still get a subpoena or warrant.
And yes — police have received footage from Amazon (which owns Ring) without user consent in past cases. That’s legal under current federal law, and Utah law doesn’t stop it either.
You may not know it’s happening. But your camera could be part of a criminal investigation you were never told about.
Utah Protects Digital Privacy — But Not Your Front Porch
Utah deserves credit for one thing: it passed the Electronic Information or Data Privacy Act in 2019. That law says police need a warrant to access:
- Your phone’s GPS data
- Cloud backups
- Email and text content
But that protection doesn’t apply to doorbell footage you store yourself — or share voluntarily.
That’s a big loophole. And it’s only getting bigger.
Surveillance Now Feels Like Safety — That’s the Problem
Most people don’t think of cameras as surveillance anymore. They see them as security.
- We install doorbell cams to protect packages.
- We use baby monitors with cloud video.
- We track our cars and phones for safety.
But the more we normalize this tech, the more we forget how much privacy we’re giving up. Every recorded moment can be used, shared, or stored — often without limits.
Once it’s on video, it’s no longer just your business.
Utah Needs Clearer Laws
Utah has a chance to lead. But first, lawmakers need to act.
We need laws that:
- Define the limits of private surveillance
- Require consent for certain types of recording
- Restrict how law enforcement can access home security footage
- Protect people from being recorded in semi-private spaces like porches or hallways
If we don’t set boundaries now, we’re agreeing to a future where everything you do outside your door — and sometimes inside — is on record.
You’re Always Being Watched. But the Law Still Matters.
This isn’t about paranoia. It’s about power.
Who controls the footage? Who decides what’s shared? And when your doorbell becomes a police tool, do you still own your privacy?
Utah is a place that values liberty, independence, and privacy. But right now, we’re giving up those rights without realizing it.
It’s time to write laws that match the world we actually live in — not the one we used to.