Using notification stickers

[Zepp2010]

Hi,

I have a dashcam in both of my vehicles. They came with a sticker to attach to warn people a dashcam is recording.

I’m wondering what the pros and cons are of using the sticker?

It’s a small sticker so I’m not sure a following driver would notice it and a vehicle in front certainly wouldn’t. I’m wondering if it’s more of an advertising for the manufacturer rather than an advantage to the user.

I only drive in the UK so foreign driving isn’t relevant in my case.

Any thoughts?

 

[Nigel]

I only drive in the UK so foreign driving isn’t relevant in my case.

If the dashcam is used for business use then the stickers may be a legal requirement, depending on how people interpret the rules, but they are not required for private use.

I've not seen any evidence that they make any difference. I suspect in the UK they are more likely to attract undesirable attention than to prevent anything unwanted. Possibly, an obvious sticker might prevent opportunists taking things if you leave you roof/windows down.

It’s a small sticker so I’m not sure a following driver would notice it

Does it say: "If you are close enough to read this...

I’m wondering if it’s more of an advertising for the manufacturer rather than an advantage to the user.

Probably advertising aimed at yourself, to buy that manufacturer's products again when this one fails!

 

[Dashmellow]

I have a dashcam in both of my vehicles. They came with a sticker to attach to warn people a dashcam is recording.

I’m wondering what the pros and cons are of using the sticker?

In many jurisdictions it is illegal to record people's private conversations without their permission. Depending on the particular stickers that came with your cameras one of them could be mounted facing the passengers inside your vehicle, say on the dashboard somewhere, to alert them that a recording is taking place. Some manufacturers include stickers that specifically refer to conversations being recorded for this purpose but a more generic "dash cam recording" sticker would also be suitable.

 

[mentadent]

Plus side might make people think twice if they want to road rage

Down side is people might break into your car to steal it, although fingers crossed I don't think this is common anymore.

 

[CB91710]

In many jurisdictions it is illegal to record people's private conversations without their permission. Depending on the particular stickers that came with your cameras one of them could be mounted facing the passengers inside your vehicle, say on the dashboard somewhere, to alert them that a recording is taking place. Some manufacturers include stickers that specifically refer to conversations being recorded for this purpose but a more generic "dash cam recording" sticker would also be suitable.

This.
Different states and countries have different laws.
In California, you may not record audio unless both parties are *informed*... they don't have to grant permission, you just need to inform them. Some states require the consent of both parties, and some states only require notification/consent of one party, meaning if the cabin is being recorded in a fleet vehicle where only the driver is (supposed to be) present, he must be informed.
Video is different. There is no reasonable expectation of privacy in a public place, however, it may be different if the passenger compartment is being video recorded, as one would reasonably expect some level of privacy there.

Personally, I don't use the stickers, but I also do not record audio or the interior of the vehicle.

 

[mentadent]

They're not in California tho

 

[Dashmellow]

This.
Different states and countries have different laws.
In California, you may not record audio unless both parties are *informed*... they don't have to grant permission, you just need to inform them. Some states require the consent of both parties, and some states only require notification/consent of one party, meaning if the cabin is being recorded in a fleet vehicle where only the driver is (supposed to be) present, he must be informed.
Video is different. There is no reasonable expectation of privacy in a public place, however, it may be different if the passenger compartment is being video recorded, as one would reasonably expect some level of privacy there.

Personally, I don't use the stickers, but I also do not record audio or the interior of the vehicle.

Well thanks for the clarification, but you are essentially just repeating and perhaps elaborating on what I said in my post.

I observed that in many (but not all) jurisdictions it is illegal to record people's private conversations without their permission. Obviously, there is no expectation of privacy in a public space (such as in a parking lot right outside your car where you might have just been speaking with a passenger) hence the use of the term "private conversations". I didn't feel this thread particularly needed a dissertation on US surveillance and privacy laws.

In many jurisdictions it is illegal to record people's private conversations without their permission.

I don't use these stickers either but if I have a passenger in my vehicle who I don't know well or I believe may not be familiar with dash cams I inform them that audio is being recorded. I also inform them I have no interest in archiving anything we may discuss and that the dash cam will eventually record over older footage when the memory card gets full. I've not had anyone object.

 

[CB91710]

They're not in California tho

Exactly.
OP needs to know what the laws are in the UK and if they are different in various parts of the country (such as we have counties within states that may have slightly different regulations)

 

[Dashmellow]

Exactly.
OP needs to know what the laws are in the UK and if they are different in various parts of the country (such as we have counties within states that may have slightly different regulations)

I find that some folks in the UK and in other countries where laws generally apply to an entire nation have a hard time understanding or even accepting that the US is an enormous country comprised of 50 individual (but united) states that have their own governing bodies where laws are often very similar but sometimes different from state to state and all the state laws are ultimately governed under the umbrella of the Federal government which is the ultimate arbiter. It's a unique tapestry of laws in different parts of the country that all works somehow and which dates back directly to how our nation was founded.

 

[Nigel]

Exactly.
OP needs to know what the laws are in the UK and if they are different in various parts of the country (such as we have counties within states that may have slightly different regulations)

The OP is located in the city/county of London, in the country of England, in the nation state of the United Kingdom, so London, English and United Kingdom law applies. The relevant law in this case is the Data Protection Law, which is a UK law, so does not differ across the country of England, or across the other countries of the UK, it only differs depending on if you are operating as a business, or privately.

 

[Hack_man]

In California, you may not record audio unless both parties are *informed*... they don't have to grant permission, you just need to inform them. Some states require the consent of both parties, and some states only require notification/consent of one party, meaning if the cabin is being recorded in a fleet vehicle where only the driver is (supposed to be) present, he must be informed.
Video is different. There is no reasonable expectation of privacy in a public place, however, it may be different if the passenger compartment is being video recorded, as one would reasonably expect some level of privacy there.

Personally, I don't use the stickers, but I also do not record audio or the interior of the vehicle.

My interpretation of this (in CA) is that audio recording in PARKING mode would also be prohibited. The idea would be to capture the sound of cars colliding to prove the car pulling in/out caused the impact, but what if conversation also gets recorded?

 

[Dashmellow]

In California, you may not record audio unless both parties are *informed*... they don't have to grant permission, you just need to inform them.

I guess that's where the stickers come in to the equation.



For anyone who wants to look up their U.S. state laws regarding this issue check out the following link posted by a law firm on the question.

LAWS ON RECORDING CONVERSATIONS IN ALL 50 STATES

Interestingly, I live in Vermont which has the unique distinction of being the only state in the U.S.A that has no laws on the books whatsoever about where and when you can and can't record conversations or phone calls. There was a VT Supreme Court ruling that basically states that you can't surreptitiously record anyone inside your home but even that may be something that could be challenged in a court of law because the case in question referred specifically to police who entrapped a suspect by recording a conversation with him inside a home without informing him he was being recorded. There is an as yet untested legal theory that a ruling that applied specifically to police conduct may not apply to the average citizen inside their own house.

 

[Nigel]

I find that some folks in the UK and in other countries where laws generally apply to an entire nation have a hard time understanding or even accepting that the US is an enormous country comprised of 50 individual (but united) states that have their own governing bodies where laws are often very similar but sometimes different from state to state and all the state laws are ultimately governed under the umbrella of the Federal government which is the ultimate arbiter. It's a unique tapestry of laws in different parts of the country that all works somehow and which dates back directly to how our nation was founded.

I doubt that the OP ever considered any legal issues before posting, because they live in a free nation where the government doesn't impose unnecessary/unwanted/unobvious restrictions on our lives.

So we do find it hard to understand why, when we start a thread about the usefulness of a simple little sticker in London, people from the "land of the free"(USA) always start making many irrelevant posts discussing city/county/state/national legal issues in their part of the world, especially when any relevant laws should obviously be national laws, because highways don't end at city/state borders, we don't even expect to need to study our legal manuals every time we cross a country border and then install or remove the sticker as dictated by the local law! I didn't even worry when I last drove out of the UK, knowing that the law there is almost identical to here; driving and data protection law is unified across all of Britain, and most of Europe, although some of the European countries appear to interpret it a little differently on things like how long the loop recording can retain video files for.

 

[Hack_man]

I doubt that the OP ever considered any legal issues before posting, because they live in a free nation where the government doesn't impose unnecessary/unwanted/unobvious restrictions on our lives.

So we do find it hard to understand why, when we start a thread about the usefulness of a simple little sticker in London, people from the "land of the free"(USA) always start making many irrelevant posts discussing city/county/state/national legal issues in their part of the world, especially when any relevant laws should obviously be national laws, because highways don't end at city/state borders, we don't even expect to need to study our legal manuals every time we cross a country border and then install or remove the sticker as dictated by the local law! I didn't even worry when I last drove out of the UK, knowing that the law there is almost identical to here; driving and data protection law is unified across all of Britain, and most of Europe, although some of the European countries appear to interpret it a little differently on things like how long the loop recording can retain video files for.

I have to agree our unique state laws don't always make sense. Someone can be a legally licensed gun owner in one state but arrested for carrying the same firearm in a neighboring state if not specifically permitted.

 

[Dashmellow]

I doubt that the OP ever considered any legal issues before posting, because they live in a free nation where the government doesn't impose unnecessary/unwanted/unobvious restrictions on our lives.

So we do find it hard to understand why, when we start a thread about the usefulness of a simple little sticker in London, people from the "land of the free"(USA) always start making many irrelevant posts discussing city/county/state/national legal issues in their part of the world, especially when any relevant laws should obviously be national laws, because highways don't end at city/state borders, we don't even expect to need to study our legal manuals every time we cross a country border and then install or remove the sticker as dictated by the local law! I didn't even worry when I last drove out of the UK, knowing that the law there is almost identical to here; driving and data protection law is unified across all of Britain, and most of Europe, although some of the European countries appear to interpret it a little differently on things like how long the loop recording can retain video files for.

So, yet once again we get a contemptuous, nation bashing diatribe from you where you indulge in insulting American forum members and criticize our legal systems which as always meet with your condescending disapproval. It is remarkable to always see your xenophobia on display where you vilify anything about another nation's culture, governmental system, language or society that differs in some way from the hermetically sealed bubble you exist in within the UK which you feel to be somehow superior to all others. Obviously, this conceit falls flat on its face, particularly when it comes to privacy policies and protections as one only has to observe how the UK tabloids operate or note the mass surveillance police state your citizens are forced to live under inside the UK.

And who the hell are you to arrogantly pontificate on how our state and federal governments, laws or local jurisdictions should or shouldn't operate? The UK certainly has it's own problems and contradictions in spades.

when any relevant laws should obviously be national laws, because highways don't end at city/state borders

The simple fact here in this thread that you ignore is that most of the stickers that ship world wide with dash cameras are explicitly intended to alert people entering or riding in a vehicle that a recording is taking place. These stickers are not generally even visible to other cars while driving nor are they designed to be. The OP's query was specifically about the sticker warning people that a recording is happening and this question clearly invited an answer. And that answer was that it is a legal requirement for privacy protection in "some jurisdictions" to inform passengers that their conversations may be recorded and therefore the sticker is usually displayed where the passengers will see it. That was the simple answer the OP got, take it or leave it.

I have a dashcam in both of my vehicles. They came with a sticker to attach to warn people a dashcam is recording. I’m wondering what the pros and cons are of using the sticker?

Of course, to you, a simple answer to a question like this on this international forum, when another US member (@CB91710) merely mentions that different US states and different countries have different laws where used his own state regulations as an example immediately becomes fodder to start insulting criticisms against America and Americans and here we are yet once again with you breaking the forum rules by engaging in nation bashing which has been your usual pattern. since you joined the forum ten years ago. @DashCamMan should finally ban you.

Different states and countries have different laws.

 

[mentadent]

@Zepp2010 are you a business driver or personal driver? And if business, is it a taxi?