“Is Checking Your Own Security Cameras Considered Stalking?”
A Look at Personal Safety, Boundaries, and the Right to Protect Your Space
In the aftermath of abuse, many survivors find themselves grappling with a heightened sense of alertness—what some may call hypervigilance. It’s the mind and body’s way of trying to regain control after a long period of feeling unsafe. One common and often necessary step is installing security cameras in and around the home.
But occasionally, people may be accused—either wrongly or manipulatively—of “stalking” simply for reviewing footage from their own property. So, let’s clarify this:
No, checking your own home security footage is not stalking.
Let’s break this down further.
What Is Stalking, Legally Speaking?
Stalking is typically defined as a pattern of unwanted, obsessive attention or surveillance directed at a specific person, which causes them fear or distress. It may include following someone, watching them, sending repeated messages, or turning up uninvited at their workplace or home.
The key word here is unwanted.
The focus is on invading someone else’s privacy, not protecting your own.
Security cameras installed on your property—whether it’s your driveway, your front door, or your garden—are there for your protection, not for targeting anyone else.
Survivors and the Right to Feel Safe
For survivors of domestic abuse or harassment, installing and checking home security systems can be an empowering and essential act of self-care. After years of walking on eggshells or fearing retaliation, having eyes on your space offers a sense of control and reassurance.
Regularly checking your cameras can:
- Help you feel secure when you’re home alone
- Allow you to document suspicious behavior (especially if you’re being harassed or threatened)
- Serve as evidence in legal or restraining order situations
- Support trauma recovery by restoring a sense of safety
None of this is stalking—it’s self-protection.
When the Accusation Is a Tactic of Control
It’s not uncommon for abusers or manipulative individuals to accuse a survivor of stalking simply because they don’t like being watched or recorded—even when they’re the ones intruding on your property.
This kind of accusation can be a form of gaslighting—twisting your valid, protective actions into something sinister in order to make you feel guilty, ashamed, or confused.
If you’re being accused of stalking for checking your cameras, ask yourself:
- Are the cameras on your property or legal boundary?
- Are you reviewing footage for your own peace of mind, not obsessively tracking someone else?
- Have you informed law enforcement or legal counsel about previous harassment or threats?
If the answer is yes, then you are well within your rights.
Legal and Ethical Boundaries
While it’s your right to protect your home, here are a few reminders to stay on solid legal ground:
- Keep your cameras facing public areas or your own private property. Avoid pointing cameras into someone else’s private space, such as their home or garden, without clear boundaries or legal approval.
- Use signage if required by law (in some countries, you may need to inform visitors or workers that they are being recorded).
- Only use footage for personal protection or evidence, not for sharing online or using to harass anyone.
If you’re ever in doubt, consult with a legal professional or law enforcement. Many police departments even encourage home surveillance systems, especially for vulnerable individuals.
Final Thoughts: You Are Not the Problem
If you are a survivor of abuse, know this:
- It is not obsessive to want to feel safe.
- It is not controlling to watch over your own space.
- It is not stalking to use your cameras to protect your peace.
You are allowed to feel safe. You are allowed to reclaim your home as a sanctuary.
And if someone tries to make you feel guilty or ashamed for doing so, especially someone who once made you feel unsafe—remember, that says more about them than it does about you.
You are not being paranoid.
You are being proactive.
And that is powerful.
