Is a conversation at a restaurant private?

I'm doing a paper on perceived privacy and I came across an article about CCTV cameras that record audio as well.

A woman complained at a restaurant that service was slow and then got a letter from manager saying that after reviewing her meal he didn't agree.

How is the camera any different than the person sitting at the next table? What do you think?

And if you could provide links to sites so I can review that would be great.Is a conversation at a restaurant private?
I don't think any conversation held in public is private. If people can overhear you, it's public. However, I do have some doubts about the restaurant story and here's why - a (good) restaurant manager would never *ever* respond to a complaint about something so insignificant in such a hostile manner. They just wouldn't. The response to any complaint about slow service would be met with "We're so sorry... what can we do to make it up to you?" No matter how ridiculous the complaint might be. That's how you keep people coming back.Is a conversation at a restaurant private?
Depends on state law.



These are from the CCTV website:



If you record a private conversation, you are in danger of being accused of not only eavesdropping on the conversation, but wiretapping as well. This is allowed in some states but only if one of the parties is consenting (think of police wires).



Some states will allow covert video surveillance but not audio surveillance, so if you have a camera with a built-in microphone, you need to make sure you either have it turned off, or you buy one without it. There are several legal ramifications to this and you are best to simply avoid the audio surveillance in general if your state does not allow it.



Most states will not allow any sort of 鈥榗overt鈥?audio in public workplaces, public areas or public stores, however there are ways to get around this and that is through signage. When you have a sign up that states not only that the area is under video surveillance but also that audio surveillance is beintg used, then you are alerting people that they are being recorded through audio and if they choose to stay where they are being recorded, then they are agreeing to the fact their voice is being recorded.