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Smart Home Surveillance: Governments Tell Google's Nest Hand Over Data

forbes.com

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Re: Smart Home Surveillance: Governments Tell Google's Nest Hand Over Data

#61
post #38

I was recently looking for some security cameras for my house. I was considering Nest, but the fact that they are owned by Google makes me a bit weary, privacy-wise. Does anyone have experience with other brands that you might recommend?

I've been using Wyze cameras. They're notable for being very inexpensive but still including high quality cameras. The tech in home security cameras is basically a lens and a cable, usually some software with questionable UI. I'm really skeptical of companies that manage to take that commodity hardware and ask for hundreds of dollars. It's also a field that's still iterating pretty rapidly, so tech that's priced at n…

How is Wyze's compatibility? I was looking at the hardware however I couldn't determine if I could connect it to my NAS. It looks as if ONVIF support isn't high on their priority list (see recent Reddit AMA)

Re: Smart Home Surveillance: Governments Tell Google's Nest Hand Over Data

#62
post #38

I was recently looking for some security cameras for my house. I was considering Nest, but the fact that they are owned by Google makes me a bit weary, privacy-wise. Does anyone have experience with other brands that you might recommend?

I have a Synology NAS (I wanted an always on network backup for 3 PCs) it came with 2 free security camera licenses. The standard I found is ONVIF, my first camera arrives tomorrow (the software looks good, online support looks promising). Depending on features cameras are ~$25-$50 with the heavier duty hardware being ~$100 (there is also commerical grear you could easily spend $500 a camera)

Here are the questions I'd ask in making your choice. 1) device storage vs onsite storage vs hosted remote (my dad wants to setup a system, I'm hoping we can share an off-site backup solution)

2) internet required vs CCTV (local lan only)

3) WiFi vs wired vs Power Over Ethernet (I'd prefer wired PoE, but I don't want to run cable at this time, I went wireless, this requires a phone app to setup in my case)

4) fixed camera vs pan/tilt (I'm planning a mixed system, pan/tilt for living room with fixed cameras looking at doors)

Obviously this is putting most of the setup/maintenance onto you. If you're comfortable with that and setting up a network I believe this is the most privacy-wise solution as the data should never leave your house

Re: Smart Home Surveillance: Governments Tell Google's Nest Hand Over Data

#63
post #62
post #38

I was recently looking for some security cameras for my house. I was considering Nest, but the fact that they are owned by Google makes me a bit weary, privacy-wise. Does anyone have experience with other brands that you might recommend?

I have a Synology NAS (I wanted an always on network backup for 3 PCs) it came with 2 free security camera licenses. The standard I found is ONVIF, my first camera arrives tomorrow (the software looks good, online support looks promising). Depending on features cameras are ~$25-$50 with the heavier duty hardware being ~$100 (there is also commerical grear you could easily spend $500 a camera) Here are the questions I…

Synology has been getting wierd, also, with privacy. A few updates ago, my private fileserver asked me to agree to a privacy terms of service. I'm considering airgapping it and ending updates.

Re: Smart Home Surveillance: Governments Tell Google's Nest Hand Over Data

#64
post #62
post #38

I was recently looking for some security cameras for my house. I was considering Nest, but the fact that they are owned by Google makes me a bit weary, privacy-wise. Does anyone have experience with other brands that you might recommend?

I have a Synology NAS (I wanted an always on network backup for 3 PCs) it came with 2 free security camera licenses. The standard I found is ONVIF, my first camera arrives tomorrow (the software looks good, online support looks promising). Depending on features cameras are ~$25-$50 with the heavier duty hardware being ~$100 (there is also commerical grear you could easily spend $500 a camera) Here are the questions I…

Here’s a resource for research - questions like yours come up about twice a week. NAS/NVR & wired/PoE are the typical suggestions. edit: also, BlueIris software for an NVR https://www.reddit.com/r/HomeNetworking+Ubiquiti+homeautomat...

Re: Smart Home Surveillance: Governments Tell Google's Nest Hand Over Data

#66
post #47

Reading the article, wtf is a rap crew? And why do half of these sentences not make sense? Back in my day, journalism in forbes was still shitty but at least with coherent sentences. edit: A link in the article does inform me of 'rap crew' "O n a June day last year, a skinny, dreadlocked 29-year-old rapper known as Tony Da Boss lay in bed in a redbrick apartment on a tree-lined street in Charlotte, North Carolina. It…

Well... http://www.wsoctv.com/news/local/charlotte-area-hip-hop-grou...

Re: Smart Home Surveillance: Governments Tell Google's Nest Hand Over Data

#67
post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is exactly why we are building on-device private AI at Snips ( https://snips.ai , disclaimer: I'm a co-founder) We believe that the only way to have people trust AI is when we will make it possible to have privacy-respecting AI, we believe it is not only feasible, but it is our duty to build AI which respects people and is able to scale without presenting a danger to our societies

Sorry man your site lost me at the token based app store...

[deleted]

Re: Smart Home Surveillance: Governments Tell Google's Nest Hand Over Data

#68
post #62
post #38

I was recently looking for some security cameras for my house. I was considering Nest, but the fact that they are owned by Google makes me a bit weary, privacy-wise. Does anyone have experience with other brands that you might recommend?

I have a Synology NAS (I wanted an always on network backup for 3 PCs) it came with 2 free security camera licenses. The standard I found is ONVIF, my first camera arrives tomorrow (the software looks good, online support looks promising). Depending on features cameras are ~$25-$50 with the heavier duty hardware being ~$100 (there is also commerical grear you could easily spend $500 a camera) Here are the questions I…

Presuming you don't go with Arecont cameras, what cameras are you considering? HikVision seem to hit a sweet spot but not sure of they call home --although being CC makes it matter less.

Re: Smart Home Surveillance: Governments Tell Google's Nest Hand Over Data

#69
post #33
post #6

If your data is not end to end private key encrypted, then you are inviting the government in to look at all your shit; photos, documents, logs, everything.

I completely agree with you but the challenge is how do you get people to care about privacy when they publicly post their current location and meal to public profiles daily? How do you convince people to PAY for services from companies that care about privacy instead of picking the "free" option where everything you do and say is tracked? We can blame the government but we are complicit in our apathy.

They won't care until their own personal privacy is breached in some horrifying manner, for example nude photos hacked and posted on public forums.

Re: Smart Home Surveillance: Governments Tell Google's Nest Hand Over Data

#70
post #6

If your data is not end to end private key encrypted, then you are inviting the government in to look at all your shit; photos, documents, logs, everything.

We tend to view this as a technology problem. The real question: Why do we let governments get away with this kind of behavior? Fighting a technology arms race with the government is a losing battle. They can ask for private keys to be handed over - on threat of jail time if you don't comply. We need to start at the ballot box.

I'm curious at what point people decide that the government spying on them begins to be ok? How does the average person feel about the following:

1. A spouse going through your cell phone without your knowledge 2. A landlord requiring cameras in all rooms of your house to catch potential property destruction 3. A boss logging all computer activity at all times

I'd imagine the average person would be pretty pissed about all of the above. At some point though, when it gets scaled up to the federal government effectively having the power to go through anybody's phone records, cloud data, email, search history, and now surveillance cameras, a lot of people seem to be okay with that, because terrorism.

Terrorism is bad, but police states are worse, because at that point the government becomes the terrorist. If you're that afraid of terrorists that you're willing to give the government the power to spy on you (which is not even guaranteed to prevent terror attacks), maybe you should move to a rural location far away from any population center. Otherwise, it should be treated like any other crime. Perhaps we should think about why people become terrorists in the first place, and maybe get at the root of the problem, instead of increasing police power endlessly to try to solve the symptom and not the cure.

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