Installing a security camera or doorbell camera at your own front door to protect your home is not itself prohibited by law. Article 51 of the Personal Data Protection Act provides that an individual collecting personal data purely for personal or household activities is outside that Act. But if the lens films into a neighbor's home or window, or records other people's non-public conversations, it may violate Article 315-1 of the Criminal Code (offenses against privacy), punishable by up to 3 years' imprisonment or a fine of up to NT$300,000; invading privacy can also lead to a civil claim for compensation. If the camera is to be mounted on common areas such as a stairwell wall or ceiling, this article recommends getting the consent of the management committee (管委會) first and following the community bylaws (規約).
Note: If you capture a suspicious person on camera, this article recommends giving the footage to the police, rather than posting it online or naming the person in a group chat yourself. Adjusting the camera angle and turning off audio are the simplest ways to avoid disputes. This article summarizes general legal principles; whether something is unlawful is decided by prosecutors and courts case by case. If in doubt, contact the Legal Aid Foundation (法律扶助基金會) or a lawyer.
What each of the three laws covers
| Law | What it covers | Key points |
|---|
| Criminal Code, Article 315-1 | Without cause, using a tool to peep or eavesdrop, or secretly recording by audio, photo or video another person's "non-public" activities, speech, conversations or intimate body parts | Up to 3 years' imprisonment, detention, or a fine of up to NT$300,000; prosecuted only on complaint (Article 319), and the complaint must be filed within 6 months of learning who the offender is (Code of Criminal Procedure, Article 237) |
| Personal Data Protection Act, Article 51 | An individual collecting, processing or using personal data purely for personal or household activities; audio and video collected in public places and not combined with other personal data | The Act does not apply to these two situations |
| Civil Code, Articles 18, 184 and 195 | Infringement of personality rights and the right to privacy | You can demand that the infringement be removed or prevented, and claim damages; for unlawful invasion of privacy you can claim compensation for non-monetary harm |
| Condominium Administration Act, Articles 6 and 9 | How residents use common areas | Common areas must be used according to their intended purpose and usual manner of use; where common areas must be used to install piping and wiring, the management committee (管委會) must consent |
The national laws and regulations database (全國法規資料庫) shows that the Criminal Code was last amended on July 22, 2026, and the Personal Data Protection Act on November 11, 2025. In that amendment of the Personal Data Protection Act, the effective dates of some articles are to be set separately by the Executive Yuan, but Article 51 is not among the amended articles and is currently in force.
How the Ministry of Justice reads "personal or household activities"
A Ministry of Justice letter of March 27, 2013 (法律字 No. 10203502790) answered several questions directly related to surveillance cameras:
- When an individual collects, processes or uses personal data purely for personal or household activities, for example "publishing footage from a building's or dormitory's surveillance cameras that involves personal data, in order to protect their own or their household's rights," the Personal Data Protection Act does not apply under Article 51, paragraph 1, subparagraph 1.
- In answer to other questions (for example sharing photos of friends and relatives online), the same letter points out that when conduct falls under Article 51 but infringes another person's personality or privacy rights, the victim can still demand removal of the infringement, prevention of the infringement and damages under Articles 18, 184 and 195 of the Civil Code.
- When a government agency or a non-government entity (for example a management committee (管理委員會)) collects building surveillance footage, this is not a personal or household activity; it must have a specific purpose (for example managing safety at entrances and exits) and meet the requirements of Articles 15 and 19 of the Personal Data Protection Act, and publishing footage must also stay within the specific purpose.
In other words, "the Personal Data Protection Act does not apply" does not mean "you may film however you like." The Criminal Code and the Civil Code still apply.
When it can become unlawful: the camera angle is the key
Two elements of Article 315-1 of the Criminal Code matter most: first, "without cause," and second, that what is filmed must be a "non-public" activity, speech, conversation or intimate body part. Hallways and stairwells are spaces residents use in common. This article reads it as generally harder to argue that a neighbor passing through them is a non-public activity; but if the lens points at the inside of a neighbor's door, window or balcony, or picks up conversations inside the home, the risk rises clearly. The table below is this article's own reference for judging, not an official standard:
| What the lens captures | Risk, as judged in this article | Reason |
|---|
| Only your own doorway and the ground in front of it | Low | The purpose is to protect your own home, and what is filmed is a space people use in common |
| Also catches the door opposite, with the inside visible when it is open | Medium to high | Activity inside the home is non-public, and pointing at it for a long time may be seen as "peeping" |
| Aimed at a neighbor's window, balcony or bathroom vent | High | Directly obtains images of another person's non-public activities or intimate body parts |
| Audio turned on, recording hallway or in-home conversations | High | Article 315-1 covers both eavesdropping and secretly recording conversations by audio |
| Uploading footage online or forwarding it to groups | Depends on the content | Publishing another person's image may separately infringe privacy; if the footage was secretly recorded, spreading it carries separate criminal liability (Criminal Code, Article 315-2) |
Whether something was done "without cause," and whether what was filmed is a "non-public" activity, is decided by prosecutors and courts on the facts of each case. This article reads the purpose of installation, whether the filmed area goes beyond what is needed to protect your own home, and whether the person filmed had a reasonable expectation of privacy as factors that may all be taken into account; there is no bright-line centimeter measurement or angle.
Cameras on common areas: is management committee consent needed?
The Condominium Administration Act has no provision specifically governing residents installing surveillance cameras, and this article did not find an interpretive letter from the Ministry of the Interior on residents installing cameras on common areas. The provisions that can be used for reference are:
- Article 9, paragraph 2: residents must use common areas according to their intended purpose and usual manner of use, unless otherwise agreed, in which case the agreement governs. If this is violated, the management committee (管委會) must stop it and may ask the competent authority, or sue in court, for necessary measures (paragraph 4).
- Article 6, paragraph 1, subparagraph 4: when residents, in maintaining or repairing their exclusive areas or installing piping and wiring, must use common areas, they must first obtain the consent of the person in charge of management (管理負責人) or the management committee (管理委員會).
- Article 23: a special agreement on residents' use of common areas takes effect only if it is written into the bylaws (規約).
This article reads it this way: a camera placed inside your own door or at your own doorbell position is closer to use of your exclusive area (the boundary between exclusive and common areas follows the bylaws and the as-built drawings); drilling into a stairwell wall or ceiling, or running cable along a shared hallway, involves common areas, so you should first ask the management committee (管委會) and check whether the bylaws say anything. For a community surveillance system installed by the management committee (管委會) itself, footage must be managed under the Personal Data Protection Act, and how footage may be viewed is usually set out in the bylaws or management rules.
Safer settings for doorbell cameras and cloud recording
The following are this article's recommendations:
- Use masked areas: most camera apps have a privacy mask function; blank out the door opposite and neighbors' windows.
- Consider audio: turn it off if you do not need to record sound, or turn on two-way talk only when the doorbell is pressed.
- Set a retention period: keep footage only for the number of days you need, and let it be overwritten automatically after that.
- Secure the account: change the default password, turn on two-factor authentication and update the firmware to keep footage from leaking; for details see security settings for home network cameras.
- Wiring: to use wired PoE cameras in an old apartment, see old low-voltage boxes and PoE smart monitoring for redoing the low-voltage wiring; to replace an intercom or electronic lock, see how to replace an intercom in an old apartment.
If a neighbor's camera is pointed at you
- Find out what the camera covers: ask the management committee (管委會) or the neighbor to show you the range of the picture (this article's recommendation).
- Negotiate an adjusted angle, a mask or turning off audio; if necessary, ask the management committee (管委會) to stop improper use of common areas under Article 9, paragraph 4.
- Apply for mediation at the mediation committee of the district office (區公所): Article 1 of the mediation act for townships, cities and districts (鄉鎮市調解條例) allows mediation of civil matters and of criminal matters prosecuted only on complaint, and Article 23 provides that no fee is charged other than inspection costs.
- If you believe it amounts to an offense against privacy, you can file a complaint with the police or the district prosecutors office; Article 315-1 is prosecuted only on complaint, and the complaint must be filed within 6 months of learning who the offender is.
FAQ
Could it be illegal if my doorbell camera records neighbors chatting in the hallway?
Article 315-1 of the Criminal Code punishes secretly recording "non-public" conversations "without cause." Whether a hallway conversation is non-public, and whether there was a legitimate reason for the installation, is decided by the courts case by case. This article recommends turning off audio when you do not need it, to reduce disputes.
If the camera catches someone stealing, can I post the video in the community group?
The Ministry of Justice letter takes the view that an individual publishing surveillance footage to protect their own or their household's rights is outside the Personal Data Protection Act, but infringing another person's privacy can still lead to a civil claim. This article recommends handing the video to the police and using the group only to remind everyone to watch their doors.
Can the management committee make me remove my camera?
If it is installed on common areas in violation of their intended purpose, usual manner of use or the bylaws, the management committee (管委會) must stop it under Article 9, paragraph 4 of the Act, and may ask the competent authority or sue in court for measures. If it is installed inside your exclusive area, Article 4 of the Act provides that the unit owner may freely use the exclusive area and exclude interference by others, with the exception "where the law provides otherwise"; if the camera invades others' privacy, the affected resident can still rely on the Civil Code.
The household opposite has also put a camera facing my door. What can I do?
Talk first and ask them to adjust the angle or add a mask; if that fails, you can ask the management committee (管委會) to mediate or go to the district office (區公所) for mediation. If the camera can see into your home, you can consider filing a complaint under Article 315-1 of the Criminal Code, or demanding prevention of the infringement under Article 18 of the Civil Code.
Last updated: 2026-10-31
This article was compiled by SOSfix editors from public information and is for general reference only. For your own case, contact the Ministry of Justice, the local police agency, the mediation committee of the district office (區公所), or a lawyer or the Legal Aid Foundation (法律扶助基金會).
Sources
- National laws and regulations database (全國法規資料庫): Criminal Code (in Chinese; amended July 22, 2026; verified 2026-10-31): Article 315-1 offense against privacy, Article 315-2 spreading secretly recorded content, Article 319 prosecution only on complaint.
- National laws and regulations database (全國法規資料庫): Personal Data Protection Act (in Chinese; amended November 11, 2025, some articles' effective dates set separately; verified 2026-10-31): Article 2 definition of personal data, Article 51 paragraph 1 situations where the Act does not apply.
- Taipei laws and regulations database (in Chinese): Ministry of Justice letter 法律字 No. 10203502790 of 2013-03-27 (verified 2026-10-31): publishing surveillance footage for personal or household purposes is outside the Personal Data Protection Act, civil claims remain available, and requirements when non-public bodies such as management committees collect surveillance footage.
- National laws and regulations database (全國法規資料庫): Civil Code (in Chinese; amended August 17, 2026; verified 2026-10-31): Article 18 personality rights, Article 184 torts, Article 195 non-monetary damages for invasion of privacy.
- National laws and regulations database (全國法規資料庫): Condominium Administration Act (in Chinese; amended May 11, 2022; verified 2026-10-31): Article 4 paragraph 1, Article 6 paragraph 1 subparagraph 4, Article 9 paragraphs 2 and 4, Article 23.
- National laws and regulations database (全國法規資料庫): Code of Criminal Procedure (in Chinese; amended May 13, 2026; verified 2026-10-31): Article 237, the 6-month period for filing a complaint for offenses prosecuted only on complaint.
- National laws and regulations database (全國法規資料庫): mediation act for townships, cities and districts (in Chinese; amended January 13, 2023; verified 2026-10-31): Article 1 civil and complaint-only criminal matters can be mediated, Article 23 no fee.
