Snowden helped design an app that turns your old phone into a surveillance device to help solve the "evil maid" problem

Recording in public places is legal, no consent needed. So dash cams are safe legally.

Recording someone, where they have a reasonable expectation of privacy, is where laws vary. I think since the recording is being used as an alarm, It’s less likely to be an issue.

In the end, I’d rather know my equipment was tampered with, than worry about recording laws.