Privacy is a person’s legally protected interest in preventing government or other intrusion into their homes; their communications (phone, e-mail, in-person); their luggage; certain compartments of their motor vehicle (glovebox, trunk); their personally identifiable information (PII); their body (hair, clothing, unexposed body parts); their image and likeness (through unauthorized use); and other information, places, and property (real and personal) in which persons have a reasonable expectation of privacy.

People generally do not have a right to privacy from being photographed or heard (if done without use of surreptitious electronic or other surveillance technologies) in public places—essentially, when they step outside of their home. There are exceptions to this general rule in which persons do have a right to privacy—such as in a doctor’s exam room or when making a phone call in a phone booth.

The Fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution protects people against government intrusions into their privacy.

And state and federal laws (statutes and court opinions) generally protect persons from unauthorized use of their personal information and from intrusions into their privacy by nongovernmental persons or entities. These protected privacy interests are generally limited to areas in which persons have a reasonable expectation of privacy (home, health information, image and likeness, e-mail communications, etc.)—and these laws vary from state to state.

In Minnesota, privacy is recognized as a legally protected interest, which aligns with the Fourth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution that guards against unreasonable searches and seizures by the government. This protection extends to individuals' homes, communications, personal effects, and personally identifiable information (PII), among other areas where there is a reasonable expectation of privacy. Minnesota law, like federal law, also provides safeguards against the unauthorized use of personal information by non-governmental entities. For instance, the Minnesota Government Data Practices Act regulates the collection, use, and dissemination of personal data by government entities. Additionally, Minnesota has laws against wiretapping and the unauthorized interception of electronic communications, which are also covered under federal statutes like the Electronic Communications Privacy Act (ECPA). However, in public spaces, individuals generally do not have a right to privacy from being photographed or overheard, unless they are in situations where privacy is expected, such as in medical facilities or private conversations in public phone booths. It's important to note that while there is a broad protection of privacy, the specifics can vary and are subject to interpretation by courts, and there may be additional protections under specific Minnesota statutes and case law.