Can I put a camera doorbell or CCTV on my house?

The GDPR has a “household exemption” (Art. 2(2)(c)): purely personal home use is outside the law. But the CJEU’s Ryneš ruling (C-212/13) drew the line hard: a home camera that structurally films public space — the pavement, the road, a neighbour’s door — is no longer “purely personal”, and the GDPR applies to you as if you were a small business. What that means in practice: aim the lens at your own door, porch and garden; tilt away from the street where possible or use the privacy-masking zones every serious doorbell app offers; capture only what a legitimate security purpose needs; keep retention short (days, not months); and be prepared to answer a neighbour’s access or erasure request — yes, they have those rights against you. A small “camera surveillance” notice defuses most disputes before they start. Audio is the trap: many doorbells record sound by default, and audio recording of passers-by is judged far more harshly than video almost everywhere — turn it off unless you truly need it. Sharing footage: posting a “porch pirate” clip to social media is publication of someone’s personal data and regularly ends in removal orders or fines — hand footage to the police instead.