Privacy settings in an Ajax system

General information

Privacy settings in Ajax systems protect users’ privacy by restricting and managing access to private data captured by system devices. These settings allow system owners to define who can access specific media on a particular device and when.

Privacy settings regulate access to media and specific device features for the following groups:

• Motion detectors with extended photo verification possibilities
• Voice modules
• Video surveillance devices

Detailed information on managing privacy settings for each device group is provided in the corresponding sections below.

Only system admins or end users with permission to manage privacy settings can configure these settings. Such users are defined as privacy managers in the system. Privacy settings can be configured only in Ajax apps for end users: Ajax Security System and Ajax Desktop.

PRO users cannot configure privacy settings. However, companies can manage their employees’ access rights in Ajax PRO Desktop. These settings are available in the Access rights menu in the Company section. If a system owner has not granted specific permissions to a company, the company employees will not have these permissions, even if they are enabled in the Access rights menu.

Learn more in the Ajax PRO Desktop user manual

System admins and PRO users with access to system settings can assign the privacy manager role to users. This can be done in the Users menu in the space settings individually for each user.

To assign the privacy manager role to a user, in an Ajax app:

1. Select a space and go to:
   • Control → Settings → Users
2. Select the required user.
3. Select System management.
4. Enable the Manage privacy settings option.

Privacy managers can configure permissions individually for each user, installer, or company, or use the Bulk access management feature to configure permissions for multiple users, installers, or companies at once.

Any permission granted to any user, installer, or company can be revoked with the same flow as for granting it. Detailed information is provided in the Revoking access section.

Bulk access management

With the Bulk access management feature, it’s possible to grant and revoke permissions for multiple users, installers, or companies, as well as for multiple devices at once. This feature can be applied only to one user category (i.e., Users, Installers, Companies), but to multiple device groups at the same time. For example, a privacy manager can grant multiple end users access to motion detectors, voice modules, and video devices with a single configuration.

To configure permissions using Bulk access management, in the Ajax Security System or Ajax Desktop app:

1. Select a space and go to:
   • Control → Settings → Privacy
2. Select the required user category: Users, Installers, or Companies.
3. Tap/click Configure at the Bulk access management block.
4. Select the required users, installers, or companies and tap/click Next.
5. Select the required devices and tap/click Next.
6. Configure permissions and tap/click Save. Note that any unselected permissions will be revoked even if they were previously granted.

Motion detectors with extended photo verification possibilities

Privacy settings for motion detectors with extended photo verification possibilities include general settings and individual settings for users, installers, and companies.

General settings

General settings allow enabling or disabling the Photo on demand and Photo by scenario features and configuring when each scenario runs: always or only when the system is armed.

To configure general privacy settings for camera-equipped motion detectors, in the Ajax Security System or Ajax Desktop app:

1. Select a space and go to:
   • Control → Settings → Privacy
2. In the menu that opens:
   1. Enable or disable the Allow photos on demand option.
   2. Enable or disable the Allow photos by scenarios option.
   3. Select Scenario execution rules and configure when each scenario runs: always or only when the system is armed. These settings are available only if the Allow photos by scenarios option is enabled.

Enabling the Allow photos on demand option does not grant permissions to take photos on demand to any user, installer, or company. A privacy manager must grant these permissions individually or use the Bulk access management feature. The detailed information is provided in the Individual settings section below.

Disabling the Allow photos by scenarios option only deactivates all created scenarios for motion detectors, but does not delete them from the system.

Individual settings

Privacy settings enable granting permissions to take photos on demand and view photos taken by other users individually for each user, installer, or company. They also allow configuring when these permissions take effect: always, when the device is in armed mode, or after an alarm is triggered (available only for companies). By default, permission to take and view photos on demand is not granted to any user, installer, or company.

To configure individual permissions for taking and viewing photos, in the Ajax Security System or Ajax Desktop app:

1. Select a space and go to:
   • Control → Settings → Privacy
2. Select the required user category: Users, Installers, or Companies.
3. In the menu that opens, it is possible to configure permissions for individual users, installers, or companies, or use Bulk access management:
   1. To configure permissions individually:
      1. Select a specific user, installer, or company.
      2. Go to Photo and video permissions.
      3. Select the required device and configure permissions.
   2. To configure permissions using Bulk access management:
      1. Tap/click Configure in the Bulk access management block.
      2. Select the required users, installers, or companies and tap/click Next.
      3. Select the required devices and tap/click Next.
      4. Configure permissions and tap/click Save. Note that any unselected permissions will be revoked even if they were previously granted.

Permission to take and view photos is granted only on a permanent basis.

Voice modules

Voice modules can record short audio clips before or after an alarm is triggered. The system allows configuring who has access to playing back and downloading the recorded audio. By default, no user, installer, or company has access to playing back and downloading audio clips recorded by a voice module.

To configure privacy settings for voice modules, in the Ajax Security System or Ajax Desktop app:

1. Select a space and go to:
   • Control → Settings → Privacy
2. Select the required user category: Users, Installers, or Companies.
3. In the menu that opens, it is possible to configure permissions for individual users, installers, or companies, or use Bulk access management:
   1. To configure permissions individually:
      1. Select a specific user, installer, or company.
      2. Go to Audio recordings permission.
      3. Select the required device and configure permissions.
   2. To configure permissions using Bulk access management:
      1. Tap/click Configure in the Bulk access management block.
      2. Select the required users, installers, or companies and tap/click Next.
      3. Select the required devices and tap/click Next.
      4. Configure permissions and tap/click Save. Note that any unselected permissions will be revoked even if they were previously granted.

Permission to play back and download recorded audio clips is granted only on a permanent basis.

Video surveillance devices

Privacy settings for video surveillance devices include various permissions, such as viewing the camera livestream, accessing the archive, downloading archive footage, watching video with sound, and using the pan-tilt-zoom (PTZ) feature. It is possible to specify when the granted permissions take effect: always, when the device is in armed mode, or after an alarm is triggered (available only for companies).

Privacy managers have full access to all video surveillance devices in the system, and this access cannot be revoked.

To configure privacy settings for video surveillance devices, in the Ajax Security System or Ajax Desktop app:

1. Select a space and go to:
   • Control → Settings → Privacy
2. Select the required user category: Users, Installers, or Companies.
3. In the menu that opens, it is possible to configure permissions for individual users, installers, or companies, or use Bulk access management:
   1. To configure permissions individually:
      1. Select a specific user, installer, or company.
      2. Go to Photo and video permissions.
      3. Select the required device and configure permissions.
   2. To configure permissions using Bulk access management:
      1. Tap/click Configure in the Bulk access management block.
      2. Select the required users, installers, or companies and tap/click Next.
      3. Select the required devices and tap/click Next.
      4. Configure permissions and tap/click Save. Note that any unselected permissions will be revoked even if they were previously granted.

If privacy managers grant the permissions via the Privacy menu in Ajax apps, these permissions are permanent. Detailed information on permanent access is provided in the following article:

Also, PRO users can request temporary access to cameras from privacy managers. Detailed information on temporary access is provided in the following article:

After a video device is added to a space, the system automatically provides installers and companies with eight hours of temporary access, allowing them to configure the device. When the time expires, access will be revoked unless a user with privacy management rights grants permanent access.

Granting access to video surveillance devices for the monitoring company is required when the Ajax Photo Mode service is activated for the system. Detailed information is provided in the Ajax Photo Mode user manual.

Revoking access

Any permission granted to a user, installer, or company can be revoked with the same flow as for granting it. Privacy managers can revoke access individually or use the Bulk access management feature.

To revoke access, in the Ajax Security System or Ajax Desktop app:

1. Select a space and go to:
   • Control → Settings → Privacy
2. Select the required user category: Users, Installers, or Companies.
3. In the menu that opens, it is possible to configure permissions for individual users, installers, or companies, or use Bulk access management:
   1. To revoke permissions individually:
      1. Select a specific user, installer, or company.
      2. Select the required permission type.
      3. Select the required device and revoke permissions.
   2. To revoke permissions using Bulk access management:
      1. Tap/click Configure in the Bulk access management block.
      2. Select the required users, installers, or companies and tap/click Next.
      3. Select the required devices and tap/click Next.
      4. Revoke permissions and tap/click Save.

If the selected installer has temporary access to camera video, the corresponding status will be displayed in their profile in the Privacy menu.

To revoke temporary access before it expires:

1. Tap/click Check details in the Temporary access to some devices block.
2. In the menu that opens, the following options are available:
   1. Select the required device and revoke some or all of its permissions.
   2. Tap/click Remove access to all to revoke permissions to all devices.

Additional information

Along with privacy settings for motion detectors, voice modules, and video surveillance devices, an Ajax system allows users to manage access to smart locks. Access permissions for smart locks are granted in a separate Smart lock access menu in Ajax apps for end users. Detailed information is provided in the following materials: