Latest dossier · Dash Cams · 3 min read
The best dash cam depends less on the model name than on which of four jobs you need it to do: record the road ahead, cover the rear…
Open the full case file
Family & Pet Monitoring
COPPA requires parental consent before an operator collects personal information from a child under 13, and location data is on the list. Here is what the rule and…
Counter-Surveillance & Privacy Law
There is no single answer for employer GPS tracking. State statutes look at who owns the vehicle, whether the owner consented, and in some states whether the employee…
Family & Pet Monitoring
A baby monitor that connects to the internet can expose a live feed if it is poorly secured. The FTC, CISA and the UK NCSC list the same…
Counter-Surveillance & Privacy Law
The federal video voyeurism statute is narrow, and most cases fall under state law. Here is what the text says and how to handle a camera in a…
Family & Pet Monitoring
A microchip and a GPS tracker solve different problems. One identifies a pet once someone finds it, and the other helps you search while it is still missing.
Dash Cams
Video of a public road is rarely the problem. Audio of passengers is where consent law applies, and rideshare platforms add their own rules on top.
Dash Cams
No single national rule says where a dash cam goes on a car windshield. States write their own obstruction laws, and the federal rule only covers commercial trucks.
Dash Cams
A dash cam rewrites its memory card again and again, and every card wears out. This article follows the SD Association and one manufacturer manual on endurance, speed…
GPS Trackers
A dead or switched-off phone is not always invisible. Apple and Google both describe a last known location and an offline network, and both depend on settings you…
It depends on the state. Federal law (18 U.S.C. § 2511(2)(d)) allows a recording when one party to the conversation consents, and many states follow that rule. Others, California among them (Penal Code § 632), require every party to agree. Recording a conversation you are not part of is a separate and much riskier question.
Video of the common areas of your own home is generally allowed, and audio recording and private spaces such as bathrooms change the answer. Our guide to cameras and household workers walks through the cases. Housekeepers and cameras.
Recording a roommate in a shared bedroom without their knowledge is unlawful in nearly every state, whoever signed the housing form. A camera aimed at your own desk is a different situation. Dorm room camera rules.
Tracking a vehicle you own, or one the owner has agreed you may track, is the safe case. Putting a tracker on someone else's car without their consent can be stalking or a privacy offense in many states, and state statutes vary. Magnetic vs hardwired GPS trackers.
No. We do not run a test lab. We read manufacturer specifications and the relevant laws, then weigh them against what owners report. The method is described on our evaluation page. How we evaluate.
Statutes cited: 18 U.S.C. § 2511, California Penal Code § 632. General information, not legal advice.