Is Big Sister Watching?

March 28, 2008 6:05 PM

I have been searching the site but have not found my specific situation. I would like to know if there is a way to tell that you are being video or audio recorded at work. Not on the computer, just in general.

I work in a retail store and the boss has made comments over the past year about having cameras but then said she was "just joking". She tends to be paranoid and she's not in the store a lot. She also has this thing where she seems to know about stuff that's going on but not in an obvious enough way for us to know she hears or sees us in the store. She makes remarks about intuition and being "a little psychic". Previous employees really thought she was spying and no one currently working there would be surprised, based on her personality. I know it's probably legal but I just want to know *if* she's doing it and how we can find out. Maybe we're just paranoid too. Appreciate any input!

posted by anonymous to work & money (13 comments total)

It's a retail store, I'd be shocked if there wasn't a camera. Look around for it or look for the recording equipment stashed in a closet. Though nowadays everything can be done wireless. I'd just assume you are on camera.
posted by sanka at 6:10 PM on March 28, 2008 [1 favorite]

Adding to what sanka says, if it's wireless, chances are you can get your own receiver pretty cheaply and join the audience.

Also, using a cheap receiver is how some people find hidden cameras, because most of the consumer-level wireless cameras transmit on the same frequency.

Do you know how to recognize cameras? Eg typically in retail you are looking for tinted or black plastic, such as a black plastic dome on the ceiling (obvious camera, as those domes have no other purpose). For an ATM it is most likely a small black plastic plate facing you (less obviously a camera, as a black sheet of plastic could just be part of the bezel construction).
There is a website that details the kinds of housings that cameras are hidden in, in order to help people learn to spot them. I can't recall it sorry, but I think it is out there.

And it's not paranoid to think you're on camera in retail.
posted by -harlequin- at 6:23 PM on March 28, 2008

Unless you can find the equipment, you'll just be guessing. There are a lot of ways to hide cameras, but if it's small, it usually needs a wire for power. You don't say what kind of store, but if it's small, you can probably check around the outlets to see if there's a plug that you can't track to any specific equipment.

If it's really well concealed, the only way to figure it out would be to trick her into admitting it. Maybe do something weird and see if she responds. Like at certain specific hours you bring out a little stuffed animal and start worshiping it for a few minutes, then stash it away under a counter. If she starts giving you funny looks or starts looking for your stuffed idol, you might be onto something.
posted by krippledkonscious at 6:36 PM on March 28, 2008 [9 favorites]

I would agree with sanka that if you work in a retail situation you are most likely being recorded. However, I used to work in a small salon and the manager would often drop little "hints" here and there that there were cameras in the store. It wasn't until I moved up to management that she confided in me that there were no cameras. She just thought she'd keep everyone on their toes.
posted by LeeJay at 7:28 PM on March 28, 2008

It's probably best to assume you're always on camera. Your boss might not have cameras, because the deterrent value of making you think they're there is just as good, or she may have some and not want you to know where they are, since if you knew the locations you could just stay out of frame while you whatever it is she wants to catch you at. Even if you do discover one or two, though, how do you know there aren't more?

Leejay: I've installed cameras at a restaurant that were connected to a monitor in the kitchen and nothing else. The proprieter told his employees they were being recorded and that the video was viewable from offsite, which was patently untrue, so I think the practice of lying to employees about surveillance in order save money on surveillance equipment is widespread. God Bless America!
posted by contraption at 8:25 PM on March 28, 2008

I worked for a sandwich shop chain many years ago. There was a camera at the front of the store and we could see the video in the backroom. There was also a camera at the back of the store, which our (former cop) franchise owner pointed out. My friends and I made sure only to goof off in what I called "Geneva", the no man's land between the camera views. However, one of the staff eventually climbed up on top of the freezer and determined that the second camera had wires that were not connected to anything. It was just a decoy to get us to behave in the back room. So, as Leejay notes, some store owners just like to keep you on your toes. But perhaps you should act as if the camera is there...or worship a Care Bear.
posted by acoutu at 8:28 PM on March 28, 2008

There is a website that details the kinds of housings that cameras are hidden in, in order to help people learn to spot them. I can't recall it sorry, but I think it is out there.


Since I think I saw this article first on Metafilter, I would belive that How to find hidden cameras is the one referred to by -harlequin-. It's an interesting read and most of it is still useful , but keep in mind it was published in 2002 (e.g. strategies for hiding and overall gist of technology are the same, but feature size has diminished and of course wireless is much more common).
posted by whatzit at 8:48 PM on March 28, 2008

I work in a retail store and the boss has made comments over the past year about having cameras but then said she was "just joking". She tends to be paranoid and she's not in the store a lot. She also has this thing where she seems to know about stuff that's going on but not in an obvious enough way for us to know she hears or sees us in the store. She makes remarks about intuition and being "a little psychic". Previous employees really thought she was spying and no one currently working there would be surprised, based on her personality.


Based on this, it would be safe to assume you are being recorded. Almost every retail environment has cameras, some in plain sight (if you see little glassy domes around the walls and ceilings, those are camera housings) some hidden. Audio devices are even cheaper and easier to hide, if she's paranoid and a cheapskate.

Here are a few examples of where cameras could be hidden. There could also be microcameras elsewhere, disguised as screwheads or simply poking out of a hole, most likely near the registers, safes, or anywhere else you might be handling money. Especially since you hinted that "she seems to know stuff that's going on" and claims to be a "little psychic" ... yeah, just pretend you're on a really long boring reality show. You're on candid camera.
posted by louche mustachio at 12:10 AM on March 29, 2008

Lidl is in trouble in Germany & the Czech Rep for not only recording video/audio but also for using customer/spies.
posted by Wilder at 2:43 AM on March 29, 2008

go to the register and look up. if there is a camera, it's there.
every paranoid owner wants to see if you're taking cash out.

as far as lidl is concerned - the legal situation in germany is much, much stricter. they're gonna be in hot waters.
posted by krautland at 6:34 AM on March 29, 2008 [1 favorite]

When I managed a retail store, I was able to be psychic thanks to the other employees, who could be relied upon to be my eyes and ears when I wasn't around. Just sayin'.
posted by desuetude at 1:47 PM on March 29, 2008

I was going to say the same as desuetude - I've worked in several places, some where I know there was no CCTV, and the inside information came from other employees. This is fairly easy to prove by feeding people different stories and see what comes back. It needn't be anything massive, you could tell one person you were thinking about booking a last-minute trip to Spain; another that it's Germany; another to France and so on. Or something else innocuous like that.
posted by TheDonF at 5:29 PM on March 29, 2008

I second Desuetude and TheDonF, people love to tell other people ANYTHING. You can generally pick up lots of information by paying attention to subtle cues or catching snippets of conversation. Plus you could check your laws as many places if you are being recorded they must post a sign to that effect but not always.
posted by occidental at 10:12 PM on March 30, 2008