BILL NUMBER: S9267
SPONSOR: MAY
 
TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend the general business law, in relation to enacting the
"consumer camera privacy act"
 
PURPOSE:
To establish clear consumer privacy protections governing internet-con-
nected home camera devices and the sharing, retention, and secondary use
of the footage they collect.
 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:
This bill adds a new section to the General Business Law creating the
Consumer Camera Privacy Act.
The bill defines networked camera devices to include internet-connected
video doorbells and security cameras sold to consumers. It regulates
"coordinated surveillance features," meaning functions that allow
footage or derivative data to be shared, pooled, searched, or analyzed
beyond the device owner.
Manufacturers and operators may not enable such features by default.
Coordinated surveillance tools must be activated only through separate,
affirmative opt-in consent. Footage captured by a consumer's device may
not be used for algorithm training, product development, or other
secondary purposes without separate consent.
The bill requires clear disclosures at the point of sale regarding stor-
age practices, transmission of footage, coordinated features, and
retention policies. At initial setup, consumers must receive a plain-
language explanation of data practices before recording is enabled.
Owners are granted the right to access their footage, request deletion
of footage and associated data, and revoke consent to coordinated
features at any time. Disclosure of footage from coordinated surveil-
lance features to law enforcement requires a warrant issued upon proba-
ble cause, unless the owner provides voluntary and informed consent. The
Attorney General may enforce the act, and the bill provides for civil
penalties and a private right of action.
 
JUSTIFICATION:
Networked camera devices are no longer niche products. They are common
fixtures on front doors, apartment buildings, and neighborhood streets.
These devices do more than record private property. They capture public
sidewalks, passersby, visitors, and neighbors. Increasingly, they are
integrated into systems that allow footage to be pooled, searched,
analyzed, and shared across large networks.
Consumers purchase these devices to protect their homes. They do not
necessarily intend to create permanent digital records of entire blocks
or to contribute to systems that can track movement patterns, identify
faces, or assemble large-scale footage archives.
The law has not kept pace with the capabilities of these technologies.
Default settings can activate coordinated surveillance features without
meaningful awareness. Data retention and secondary uses are often buried
in lengthy terms of service. Law enforcement access may occur through
mechanisms that do not reflect the same standards that govern more
traditional searches.
This legislation does not ban consumer cameras. It does not prevent
voluntary cooperation with law enforcement. It does not halt innovation.
Instead, it draws a clear line: participation in broader surveillance
networks must be deliberate and informed. The footage captured by a
person's home device should remain under that person's control unless
they affirmatively decide otherwise.
By requiring opt-in consent, limiting secondary data use, establishing
clear disclosure rules, and reinforcing warrant standards, the bill
protects individual privacy without disrupting legitimate security uses.
It ensures that everyday consumer technology does not gradually normal-
ize constant monitoring as an unavoidable condition of modern life.
New York has long set standards in consumer protection and privacy. As
connected devices become more powerful and more pervasive, the state has
a responsibility to define reasonable guardrails that preserve autonomy,
transparency, and trust.
 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
New bill.
 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
Minimal.
 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
One year after enactment.