Millions of Ring doorbell owners warned of costly mistake that’s easy to avoid

YOU could be unknowingly breaking the law by recording people beyond your property with a Ring doorbell.

Smart doorbells like Ring count as domestic CCTV which are bound by data protection law.

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We’ve heard in the past how people have been fined £100,000 for breaking the rules.

So it’s a good idea to make sure you’re on the right side of the law.

It’s important to keep your camera’s view away from neighbours and other properties, though this can be difficult in some situations.

According to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) which deals with all things data, the law states that those who capture images or audio recordings from outside their property boundary using a fixed camera, such as a CCTV camera or smart doorbell must do a number of things to remain lawful.

The first one is ensure you’re telling people that you’re recording.

So, put those Ring stickers that came with your product up if you haven’t already.

You should “in most circumstances, provide some of the recording if asked by a person whose images have been captured” the regulator says.

Regularly or automatically delete footage captured by your device.

It’s advised to delete recordings of people if they ask you to.

And stop recording a person if they object to being recorded as well – but only if it is possible to do so.

Remember, you can also avoid legal problems by utilising the Privacy Zones in the Ring app.

This means certain areas aren’t recorded at all.

And if you do encounter issues, it’s always best to have an informal chat with the person to try to resolve things.

How to set up a Ring Privacy Zone

To set one up, open the Ring app then go into the menu.

Now tap Devices, choose a device, tap Device Settings, then Privacy Settings and now you can add a zone.

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