We are most comfortable placing cameras inside our homes, trusting that we will only view the footage. But interior cameras present the gravest privacy risks.
In 2022, a Washington state couple was ordered to remove a doorbell camera because a judge ruled it "demonstrated a reckless disregard for the neighbor’s privacy," given that it recorded audio from inside the neighbor’s home through a shared wall.
You pay $99 for a camera, but the manufacturer pays recurring costs for server storage. To recoup that, they monetize your data. While reputable brands (like Apple’s HomeKit Secure Video or Eufy’s on-device options) prioritize encryption, cheaper brands (often from no-name Chinese OEMs) have been caught storing footage indefinitely, selling metadata to third-party marketers, or suffering massive data breaches.