California bill would require consent to share camera footage

California would put a new gate on security-camera footage under Assemblymember Joe Patterson’s AB 2062. Security camera surveillance companies could not distribute, sell or otherwise authorize third-party access to video, images or data from a consumer’s system unless the consumer gives express consent.

The practical change is about keeping a private home from becoming a movable data source. Camera footage can reveal who comes and goes, when a home is empty and other details people do not expect to be traded around without a direct yes.

Renters get a second say

The bill adds a layer in residential rental property. If the camera system is in a rental home, the company would also need consent from the adult residents before sharing that content.

That matters because the person who buys or manages the system is not always the only adult whose privacy is on the line. Under the bill, renters would not be left depending on someone else to protect their side of the house.

The exception that stays open

AB 2062 would not bar access in every situation. A court or arbitrator order would still allow access or distribution of the footage, images or other data.

The measure also fits inside California’s existing privacy approach, which already puts limits around the collection, use, sale or sharing of personal information, images and some video recordings. AB 2062 extends that logic to consumer security-camera systems and treats permission as the default, not the afterthought.