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Emerging Threats
What is Smart Home Surveillance?
The privacy risks created by internet-connected home devices that collect audio, video, and behavioral data, often shared with manufacturers and third parties.
Smart home devices create an intimate surveillance network inside your home.
What Devices Collect
- Smart speakers (Alexa, Google Home): Record audio, sometimes continuously
- Smart TVs: View watching habits, some have cameras and microphones
- Doorbell cameras (Ring): Video and audio of everyone approaching your home
- Smart thermostats: When you're home and your daily patterns
- Robot vacuums: Floor plans of your home
- Smart locks: Entry and exit patterns
Data Sharing
- Amazon shares Ring doorbell footage with law enforcement (sometimes without warrants)
- Smart TV manufacturers sell viewing data to advertisers
- Roomba maker iRobot was acquired by Amazon (floor plan data)
- Many devices send data to third-party analytics services
Protection
- Minimize smart devices — ask if you really need it
- Use local-only alternatives when possible (Home Assistant)
- Put IoT devices on a separate network
- Disable microphones and cameras when not needed
- Read privacy policies before purchasing
- Avoid devices that require cloud connectivity to function
Related Terms
App Permissions
Controls that determine what data and device features an app can access, including contacts, camera, microphone, location, and storage.
Location Services
A system that determines your device's location using GPS, WiFi, cell towers, and Bluetooth, often shared with apps and service providers.
Third-Party Tracking
The practice of monitoring user behavior across multiple websites using embedded scripts, pixels, cookies, and fingerprinting techniques.
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