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 Washington State, privacy is a legally protected interest that guards against unwarranted intrusions by the government and non-governmental entities into areas where individuals have a reasonable expectation of privacy. This includes protection against intrusion into homes, communications, personal property like luggage and certain vehicle compartments, personal information, the body, and one's image and likeness. The Fourth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution provides a broad protection against unreasonable searches and seizures by the government, reinforcing the right to privacy. Washington State law further extends privacy protections through various statutes, such as the Washington Privacy Act, which regulates the management of personal data by private entities, and the Washington State Constitution, which has been interpreted to provide greater privacy protections than the federal constitution. 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 still reasonably expected, such as in a doctor's office or a phone booth. It's important to note that while there are overarching federal laws that protect privacy, specific applications and interpretations of privacy rights can vary significantly from state to state.