((Brian's Note: For the past decade Annie has been in the public eye working in television news as an anchor, film critic and helicopter reporter. She has worked in Waco, Texas (KWTX-TV), Dallas, Texas (KTVT-TV), Houston, Texas (News 24 Houston), Las Vegas, Nevada (KTNV-TV) and the greater Los Angeles area (KDOC-TV). Career highlights include interviewing President George Bush and Senator Hillary Clinton. Annie has a passion for not only in front of the camera but behind the scenes as well. In 1996 she produced the short film "Kids Kaste" which won the Las Vegas 48 Hour Film Festival. She has also produced various TV commercials and internet based TV. Annie was born in Texas but now lives in Rancho Cucamonga, California.))

 It makes headlines all the time and the stories are nothing new. "Nanncy Cam Shows Rough Handling" and "Nanny Cam Captures Abuse". The question is, what does all this say about our society and our ethics? The answer is not simple and there are as many views on the subject as there are nanny cams to choose from.

 If you Google "nanny cams" dozens of sites pop up selling the product. I could but a camera hidden in a clock radio, a lamp, a computer speaker, even in a teddy bear. There are many typical household products that can come with a camera in it. Here's how it works. The camera sends a wireless signal to anywhere in the home with a receiver that is plugged into a VCR or DVD. You can even send the video to a computer or cell phone. While media stories have focused on potential abuse being a reason to use a Nanncy Cam, nannies are fighting back.

 Advocacy groups for nannies say secret videotaping is an invasion of privacy that breaks the trust between parents and child care providers. Judith Abranovich, a spokesperson for the National Association of Nannies, says "I really hate to see this turn into a spy versus spy arena." Abranovich, a nanny with 18 years experience, says open communication is a better method than a hidden camera. She suggests that parents handle the situation by telling a potential nanny upfront, "you are going to be taped". It's then up to the nanny to accept or decline the position.

 Harold Kent, an expert on personal privacy, says this about nanny cams, "It strikes me as unethical, I would suggest people put the shoe on the other foot. What if a camera were focused on you at work? What would your reaction be if your boss decided to record your phone conversations? Wouldn't you want to know about it ahead of time?" But it seems that parents don't care if it is ethical or not. According to a survey done by Parenting magazine of nearly 4,000 mothers, 82 percent say they would secretly videotape their nanny, not only if they suspected their child was not receiving proper care and attention, but also to protect their caregivers from false accusations of abuse.

 But is it really legal? Before parents begin taping with a hidden camera it's important to become familiar with the law. It is generally legal to videotape nannies without their permission, however taping them in the bedroom or bathroom is illegal depending on the state and very rarely is taping audio allowed.

 Does it really matter which hat you wear? I mean after all ethics is a philosophy that is way bigger than what's right and what's wrong. In the eyes of the law nanny cams for the most part are legal and if a parent chooses to use one, so be it. Nannies give up their choice of privacy when they choose to enter someone's home. In addition, they have a choice when it comes to their behavior. But the bottom line is this, whether we think it's right or wrong that eye in the sky, or in the teddy bear, is only going to become more common.

((Brian's Note: Annie Blanco is a VERY good news reporter, anchor and writer. When she and I would cover the same stories in Las Vegas I KNEW I had to be at the top of my game. To read more of Annie's work, click here. As always, feel free to leave a comment below or send me an e-mail by clicking here.