Horror at What Woman Points Directly at Neighbor’s Backdoor

A Reddit post showing a neighbor’s security camera seemingly pointed directly at a backyard door has gone viral, sparking a wave of concern and debate over home surveillance and personal privacy.

The post, made by user u/johnfx420 in the r/mildlyinfuriating subreddit on June 24, has garnered over 35,000 upvotes. Titled “My neighbor keeps her camera pointed straight at my back door,” it includes an image of the camera just visible above a wooden fence.

“The camera is active. It swivels, so it is pointed in different directions throughout the day,” the poster wrote. “90 percent of the time it’s pointed straight at my back door. She lives alone and usually has comments about what I’m doing around my house. It feels like every time I go out back I have this camera straight on me, then I notice the little blue motion light will activate. What’s the best way to deal with this? Lattice? Plants?”

In a recent survey conducted by Talker Research on behalf of Newsweek, 1,000 U.S. adults were asked about the most intense or unusual disputes they have had with neighbors. The conflicts ranged from noise complaints and lawn battles to property damage, intrusions and boundary disputes.

Gregg Ward, executive director at The Center for Respectful Leadership, said that, while disagreements between neighbors are common, starting a war is never a good idea.

“If your neighbor doesn’t behave in ways you want them to, the last thing you should do is get into a tit-for-tat battle with them,” Ward told Newsweek. “This happens all too often, and it never ends well. In short, don’t respond to disrespect with more disrespect—it will just make everything worse.”

Beyond the humor, the post touches on serious questions about privacy and conflict resolution. Christina Muller, a licensed clinical social worker (LCSW), told Newsweek that such situations call for a thoughtful, measured approach.

“I would recommend a two-pronged approach: protect your peace of mind, and preserve the relationship where possible,” Muller said. “The first prong might involve taking actionable steps—like installing a curtain, lattice, or landscaping—to block the camera’s view. It’s a nonconfrontational way to reclaim privacy, especially since we can only truly control our own actions.”

Muller added that addressing the issue directly could also be productive. “The second prong would be to raise the concern directly with the neighbor, but in a tactful and benefit-of-the-doubt manner—the kind of approach we all hope others would take with us,” Muller said. “Something like, ‘You probably didn’t realize this, but your camera points directly at my back door. I’m sure it wasn’t intentional, but it makes me a bit uncomfortable. Is there a way we can adjust it?'”

Etiquette expert Jo Hayes agreed that communication is essential. “My number one rule for situations like this is clear communication—specifically, kind, calm, clear communication,” she told Newsweek. “While addressing situations like this, or approaching any sort of conflict or potential conflict situation, is uncomfortable and something most of us would like to avoid—avoidance is usually not the best strategy.”

Hayes said that fencing or lattice—as the original poster suggested—”sounds like a terrific solution,” as it provides both privacy and an aesthetic upgrade.

“If the neighbor comments, then utilize the kind, calm, clear communication technique … something such as, ‘I/We felt rather uncomfortable about your camera being fixed on our back door so frequently, so we decided a privacy fence was needed. We’re sure you understand,'” Hayes said.

The post quickly drew thousands of comments from Reddit users expressing discomfort and offering creative, often tongue-in-cheek solutions.

One commenter, u/RaptorOO7, posted: “Point a mirror at it so it get hit with reflection of the sun or point a laser pointer at it.”

Another, u/RichardCarver1965, wrote: “How about putting a post in the ground with an even bigger camera pointed at her camera.”

U/Oldskywater commented: “Bird house plus a flag that waves in the breeze so she gets notifications all the time.”

Newsweek has contacted the original poster for comment via the Reddit messaging system.