The Bathroom Remains Private

By Amy E. Feldman

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - Is anything private these days? Yup.

Between satellites that can watch you on your own lawn, cell phone cameras, webcam screen shots, and keystroke recorders, it seems that nothing is private anymore. But there are, in fact, limits to when others can monitor you without your permission. And that's the bathroom.

The Court of Appeals in New Jersey recently ruled that people could file a lawsuit against a company that had hidden surveillance cameras in the bathroom - aimed at the sinks, not the stalls - allegedly to prevent vandalism.

The company had no warning signs letting people know. If your company has a surveillance system, it is advised to turn that off in the bathroom, or changing rooms if you have it should either warn people or better still, turn off the cameras in places that would be a shock for people to realize they exist.

And, you may be well-advised to behave as if the eyes of the world - and your mother, if she's moderately web savvy - are upon you. But while it might be a sad fact that the fact that you can expect privacy in the bathroom makes news, it is good news for those who think that privacy is fast becoming a lost privilege.