The Lowdown

Yo Poznań, we’ve seen some things—but this one really made us stop and say, “Wait… what!?”

Picture this: a regular old tenement house on Królowej Jadwigi, except one window looks like it’s prepping for a full-on heist movie. We’re talking surveillance cameras. Plural. Mounted like some sort of CCTV transformer, all pointing out like they’re about to livestream a Netflix docu-series.

Naturally, the question popped up: Is this even legal? Or is this just someone’s attempt at becoming the Jason Bourne of Jeżyce?

Let’s break it down.

In Poland, the general rule is: “wolność Tomku w swoim domku” — your house, your rules. You wanna hang a disco ball, paint the walls neon green, or install six GoPros pointed at your fern collection? Go wild, king.

BUT—and there’s always a but—once those cameras start peeping into the public space or, worse, your neighbor’s garden party, that’s when GDPR steps in like your nosy aunt at a family BBQ. This is Paranoia to the max!

According to the squad at odo24.pl, the moment a camera records anything beyond your private property (like the sidewalk, street, or that guy from flat 4B who takes suspiciously long walks every day), you’re collecting personal data. That means you gotta follow the rules. Like:

• Clearly marking the area that’s being filmed (we’re talkin’ signs, not a scribble on the window with lipstick).
• Keeping the footage safe and sound (no posting your neighbor picking their nose on TikTok).

So… is this legal? Technically, maybe. But it’s walking a fine line between “home security” and “dystopian sci-fi villain origin story.”

Until we hear back from the kamera king of Królowej Jadwigi Street, we’ll be keeping our hoods up and sunglasses on—just in case.