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 North Carolina, privacy is recognized as a legally protected interest, aligning with the Fourth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, which safeguards individuals against unreasonable searches and seizures by the government. This protection extends to a person's home, communications, personal property, and personally identifiable information (PII), among other areas where there is a reasonable expectation of privacy. For instance, North Carolina law (N.C. Gen. Stat. § 15A-287) prohibits the interception of wire, oral, or electronic communications without consent from at least one party involved in the communication. Additionally, the state's Identity Theft Protection Act (N.C. Gen. Stat. §§ 75-60 to 75-63) provides protections against unauthorized use of personal information. While individuals do not have a broad right to privacy in public spaces, there are specific situations, such as in medical facilities or when using a phone booth, where privacy is still expected and protected. It's important to note that while the Fourth Amendment restricts government actions, state and federal statutes also protect individuals from privacy intrusions by non-governmental entities. However, these laws can vary significantly from state to state.