A woman whose neighbor installed a camera that looked directly into her backyard was told there was nothing she could do about it.
The Sydney mother who lives in a Cronulla home had been having disagreements with her neighbor before becoming aware of the “uncomfortable” new setup.
What makes the situation “horrible” is that the surveillance system looks directly into his backyard, where his three young children frequently play.
The mother asked her real estate agent if they could do something with the camera, but was told nothing could be done.
A Sydney mother was horrified to discover her neighbor had installed a security camera facing her backyard, where her three young children play.
The woman told Yahoo News that her neighbor also installed another camera facing the common area in front of her garage.
He wrote in an online community group that what disturbed him most was the idea of the neighbor watching his children play.
“Our neighbor who we don’t get along with at all has placed a camera directly in front of our house,” he wrote.
“We have three small children and it makes me feel very uncomfortable that they are watched when they play outside.”
Commenters on the post criticized their neighbor’s behavior, but said it was an all-too-common problem for some.
“We had the same thing and called the police, they came after a few hours and asked to see his pictures to confirm what they could see,” one woman wrote.
Some suggested solutions included planting bamboo to obstruct the view or installing a screening panel.
New South Wales residents are allowed to have cameras overlooking public areas, but are not allowed to point them towards other people’s bathrooms or windows.
The police can be called to check what the camera can see and only if it is found to be invading someone’s privacy can they order the owner to remove or relocate it.
The mother said the discovery made her feel “uncomfortable,” but her real estate agent said nothing could be done.
“Contact your local police and they will be able to request to see that person’s footage to see exactly what has been seen,” property attorney Monica Rouvellas previously told Yahoo News.
“And then the police can, I believe, request that the camera be removed or repositioned.”
“If it’s aimed at a person’s house or window, then it’s a violation of that person’s privacy.”