this post was submitted on 16 Jul 2025
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Privacy

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I need help advocating for privacy in my HOA, which wants to set up cameras in common areas (lemmy.dbzer0.com)
submitted 1 day ago by NaNin@lemmy.dbzer0.com to c/privacy@lemmy.world
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A new neighbor moved in and is really advocating for them, but I think most people in the HOA are split. It's come up after some recent thefts after someone left a garage door open. I'm thinking of organizing my arguments like this:

  1. Even with a camera capturing a thief's face, police are unlikely to actually catch the person or retreive the stolen property.
  2. Invasion of personal privacy, I don't like being tracked and my whereabouts being monitored
  3. Surrendering biometric data without my consent
  4. Police / ICE using the data without permission to harass our residents

How does this sound? It's so exhausting fighting against this. Does anyone have any other good points or articles that can provide support? Many thanks in advance

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[–] Mouselemming@sh.itjust.works 12 points 1 day ago (1 children)

I'm willing to bet that over the years, most of the theft and damage in the building has been to cars in the garage. Cameras placed there would also have caught the culprit as they entered. Rather than place them everywhere, maybe at least restrict them to the garage.

[–] Mesophar@pawb.social 6 points 1 day ago (1 children)

From the context of the post, I'm assuming it is personal garages attached to houses, and the theft was from specific neighbors that left the garage door open, not from a parking garage building.

[–] Mouselemming@sh.itjust.works 3 points 16 hours ago* (last edited 16 hours ago) (1 children)

Reads to me more like there's a shared garage and the new neighbor had something stolen from their vehicle when another resident left the garage door open. Or possibly the whole garage area isn't gated and someone left the building entrance door from the garage open, so the theft was from a lobby. If the "common areas" are out on the street, wouldn't the new resident have to have left his own garage open? In which case he has only himself to blame.

[–] Mesophar@pawb.social 2 points 11 hours ago (1 children)

The neighbor leaving their own garage open and having only themself to blame is exactly how I read it. I was assuming the HOA was planning to put surveillance cameras around the entire neighborhood, partially because I've only heard HOA as referring to suburban residential communities, and usually have heard "board" or "committee" being used for building or townhome setups.

[–] Mouselemming@sh.itjust.works 1 points 9 hours ago* (last edited 9 hours ago)

I see. Since I live in a condo, our HOA dues pay for all the common area maintenance, trash collection, insurance, and because the plumbing wasn't fully converted it covers everyone's water as well. We elect a Board and use a management company but big expensive decisions are voted on by the whole HOA. But I get your point, it could be either.