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Detect and disconnect WiFi cameras

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Re: Detect and disconnect WiFi cameras

#51

Post by maxerickson »

scurvy wrote: post #49
icebraining wrote: post #44

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You know, there is life beyond your own city. Hotels aren't granted a monopoly over short-term rentals everywhere.

Indeed, but it's the illegal rentals which have made AirBnB successful and led to its giant valuation. There were legal rental sites before AirBnB, but none rose to such heights. AirBnB got rich by flaunting the laws on most of their listings.

Flaunt roughly means to show off. I think you mean flouting the law.

(edit: Nevermind, I see flaunt has both meanings)

Re: Detect and disconnect WiFi cameras

#52

Post by the-dude »

dheera wrote: post #25
Retric wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In the US is legal to monitor babysitters / house cleaners with hidden cameras. Just don't record bathrooms etc.

Stepping aside from legality, and speaking purely from ethics, there's a big difference between "hiring someone to provide a service for your own private home" and "renting out a temporary place of residence for someone". Ethically speaking I'd say it's completely okay to monitor the former, whether that service is a plumber or a babysitter, and whether the monitoring is done with a camera or your own human eyes. Tho…

> Those service personnel shouldn't be expecting privacy while they provide services, anyway.

Jeez. Not sure how to respond. I think for me it is not 'complete okay' to waiver your privacy whenever you provide paid services to some overlord.

Re: Detect and disconnect WiFi cameras

#53

Post by brownbat »

kazinator wrote: post #22

If you're seriously worried about this issue/threat, you have to take into consideration non-Wi-Fi cameras also! Not to mention microphones.

Agreed, this is a pretty narrow slice. Though if you're seriously worried about all forms of surveillance, you can end up heading down a deep rabbit hole pretty fast.

Consider "The Thing:" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Thing_(listening_device)

Re: Detect and disconnect WiFi cameras

#54

Post by simoncion »

bkjelden wrote: post #50

Say someone is renting out a room on AirBNB, and they also have some dropcams monitoring the perimeter of their house. Someone rents the room, and runs this script, disabling the cameras. During the stay, the property is burglarized, and there is no surveillance footage of the crime because the renter disabled the cameras. That seems like an incredibly messy legal situation. Would the renter even be able to exonerate…

> Would the renter even be able to exonerate themselves?

If you can convince the cops to do their job, then yes?

If my apartment was burgled when I was at work and my new roommate had the day off, the cops would -hopefully- do some investigation to determine if anyone else might have possibly entered the space, as well as checking and enquiring with pawn shops and grey-market street vendors for my stolen goods.

Re: Detect and disconnect WiFi cameras

#55

Post by Dylan16807 »

the-dude wrote: post #52
dheera wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Stepping aside from legality, and speaking purely from ethics, there's a big difference between "hiring someone to provide a service for your own private home" and "renting out a temporary place of residence for someone". Ethically speaking I'd say it's completely okay to monitor the former, whether that service is a plumber or a babysitter, and whether the monitoring is done with a camera or your own human eyes. Tho…

> Those service personnel shouldn't be expecting privacy while they provide services, anyway. Jeez. Not sure how to respond. I think for me it is not 'complete okay' to waiver your privacy whenever you provide paid services to some overlord.

Do you expect privacy in the workplace?

Do you expect privacy when you're in a shopping mall?

You're in a building controlled by someone else, no renting going on. What is your rule for when privacy is expected?

Re: Detect and disconnect WiFi cameras

#56

Post by Dylan16807 »

maxerickson wrote: post #40
lectrick wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The US is a fucked up place because they want to make sure a babysitter doesn't shake their baby to death or a housecleaner doesn't break or pocket something without admitting it? Hyperbole much?

So the camera is the thin line between the stranger killing the child or not? Sounds pretty fucked up. (I realize this isn't really addressing your intended meaning, but the ambiguity is there in what you said, which is pretty...)

Pretty what? All sentences are ambiguous if you try hard enough. If you could tell what the meaning was, why are you insulting a strawman while actively admitting it is a strawman?

Re: Detect and disconnect WiFi cameras

#57

Post by maxerickson »

Dylan16807 wrote: post #56
maxerickson wrote: post #40

Earlier quoted context omitted.

So the camera is the thin line between the stranger killing the child or not? Sounds pretty fucked up. (I realize this isn't really addressing your intended meaning, but the ambiguity is there in what you said, which is pretty...)

Pretty what? All sentences are ambiguous if you try hard enough. If you could tell what the meaning was, why are you insulting a strawman while actively admitting it is a strawman?

Pretty fucked up. I wasn't insulting a strawman, I was pointing out the mindset that thought the camera was saving babies lives.

(which obviously they aren't, they are documenting instances where vetting the sitter fails, not keeping marginal sitters in line)

Re: Detect and disconnect WiFi cameras

#58

Post by the-dude »

Dylan16807 wrote: post #55
the-dude wrote: post #52

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Those service personnel shouldn't be expecting privacy while they provide services, anyway. Jeez. Not sure how to respond. I think for me it is not 'complete okay' to waiver your privacy whenever you provide paid services to some overlord.

Do you expect privacy in the workplace? Do you expect privacy when you're in a shopping mall? You're in a building controlled by someone else, no renting going on. What is your rule for when privacy is expected?

> Do you expect privacy in the workplace?

Yes. And I am in the position to demand it, or take another position. So we get a privacy divide within society: cleaners, waiters etc don't have an expectation of privacy, those higher up do.

> Do you expect privacy when you're in a shopping mall?

No, everybody can walk in and out at any time.

> You're in a building controlled by someone else, no renting going on. What is your rule for when privacy is expected?

Well, you have touched upon that yourself in your previous question: if a place is open to public you can not expect privacy obviously. When you are in a private place, the default should be to expect privacy unless explicity noticed otherwise.

I feel like you are actually advocating some 1984 here on freakin' HN!

Re: Detect and disconnect WiFi cameras

#59

Post by Dylan16807 »

maxerickson wrote: post #57
Dylan16807 wrote: post #56

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Pretty what? All sentences are ambiguous if you try hard enough. If you could tell what the meaning was, why are you insulting a strawman while actively admitting it is a strawman?

Pretty fucked up. I wasn't insulting a strawman, I was pointing out the mindset that thought the camera was saving babies lives. (which obviously they aren't, they are documenting instances where vetting the sitter fails, not keeping marginal sitters in line)

A camera can find mistreatment before it turns critical, and then the sitter is replaced.

That is protecting the baby's health, which sometimes reaches the level of saving lives.

Your logic only works if camera footage goes unwatched until the day the babysitter exits the business.

Edit: And that 'thin line' remark is 100% a strawman. I don't know how you can admit it isn't the "intended meaning" and yet claim it's not a strawman.

Re: Detect and disconnect WiFi cameras

#60

Post by JabavuAdams »

patcheudor wrote: post #31
singularity2001 wrote: post #12

And don't forget to report those cameras to the authorities, since in many countries it is completely illegal to film people without their consent (in private places).

Interestingly enough, it's also completely illegal in the US to de-auth a WiFi client which is exactly what this is doing and the disclaimer is hardly accurate: "It may be illegal to use this script in the US." There's no "may" about it. It is illegal: https://www.fcc.gov/document/warning-wi-fi-blocking-prohibit... Two wrongs really don't make a right. Without physically locating the camera you have no idea what is b…

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