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Senate approves bill to ban secret recordings in transient lodging units
Summary
Senate Bill 470 A prohibits audio/video recording where guests have a reasonable expectation of privacy in transient lodging (e.g., sleeping areas and bathrooms) and allows civil suits and damages when recordings are made or transmitted without consent.
The Senate on March 24 passed Senate Bill 470 A, which expands Oregon’s invasion‑of‑privacy protections to address audio and video recordings in transient lodging.
Senator Broadman, the bill carrier, told colleagues the measure bans recording in spaces where guests have a reasonable expectation of privacy — including sleeping areas and bathrooms — and incorporates those protections into the existing invasion‑of‑privacy statute, ORS 30.831. The bill authorizes civil actions for recordings made, transmitted or broadcast without consent, and allows recovery of compensatory damages and fees.
Broadman said the bill grew out of a specific vacation‑rental incident and that the judiciary committee heard the measure with unanimous support and no opposition. During floor questions, Senator Bonham asked whether common doorbell or security cameras (for example, Ring devices) would fall under the prohibition. Broadman replied that legislative intent was not to criminalize front‑door video where a guest lacks a reasonable expectation of privacy and that many situations will be resolved case by case.
The measure passed after floor debate and a roll call; the Clerk recorded that the bill had received a constitutional majority and declared it passed.
