6 ms·

I would never pay anyone to spy on me 24 hours a day.

Nursie 6y ago
Lots of people do pay private security and alarm firms to keep an eye on things. It's true that's generally not inside the home, and for most people it's unlikely to be video footage stored off-site. I'm not sure how I feel about this, we have one nest cam that covers our entrance hallway, and it's off while we're in the house. I like being able to see what's happened while we're away (oh look, the cat came in...) but the privacy aspect is a little worrying. I guess I could get a generic camera and stream to my NAS, using "motion" to detect motion and then back up to the cloud... but that's non-trivial.
- _curious_ 6y ago
  "it's off while we're in the house." Are you sure about that?
  - Nursie 6y ago
    Yeah, I'd be able to see it using the network if it were streaming video, as I can when it's on. If you mean "it might be listening! How do you know!" in the generic, fear-y sense then we can have that conversation about any network connected device you care to mention.
    - _curious_ 6y ago
      "then we can have that conversation about any network connected device you care to mention." Agreed in that all devices are susceptible to 'listening' at any time without your direction or knowledge.
- castillar76 6y ago
  One way to ensure it's off when you're in the house: physically turn it off at the mains. :) I have one of these cameras as well, and I just flip off that outlet when we're home for extended periods (it's been off for weeks now thanks to quarantine). Since I've put up some smart-switch stuff, I could plug it into a smart-switch that automatically flips it back on when we leave...but that gets back into the "how do you really know it's off" territory, I guess.
  - Nursie 6y ago
    I could, but then you can guarantee we won't switch it back on the day we get burgled. If I don't trust the "on when it says it is" feature, I should probably just get rid of it.
A4ET8a8uTh0 6y ago
Horrifying. My neighbor just installed one of those simple to use cameras in their windows looking at their driveway and our home. The old country had some basic privacy laws, but here I can't do much about it apart from installing blinds. What is this fascination with recording everything at all times?
- jfoster 6y ago
  In the case of Tesla, Sentry Mode has actually led to plenty of vandals being caught. So there is a tangible upside there, and as far as I know there hasn't been any tangible downside of Sentry Mode. I'm not saying everything needs to always be recorded, but for security it is clear that it can lead to favourable outcomes for the party that wants the security.
  - A4ET8a8uTh0 6y ago
    I understand the appeal, but I can't accept the siren song. Frankly, my security model involves living in suburbs. Seriously, how much security do you need and at which point is it too invasive?
    - cameronfraser 6y ago
      You're fighting against a strong current. Mass video surveillance is inevitable and people are welcoming it with open arms. I highly doubt that lawmakers will legislate that people cannot record video of another persons property as a side effect of trying to record their own. At best they may start offering features that blurs out video beyond your property lines (technically possible, but difficult and would require some setup beforehand), however part of the selling point of the doorbell cameras for example is they're catching crimes on other people's property as well as your own.
- ssully 6y ago
  I think most people get them as a deterrent to break ins, not to spy on their neighbors. At least thats why I have one. I had my house robbed a few years back, which was actually horrifying. Insurance covered all the valuables, but the stuff that hurts is what can't be replaced like things from loved ones who are gone. Also your sense of security gets tarnished after something like that. I still wake up in the middle of the night sure that I hear people moving/talking in my house. Having a camera (and dogs, and just giving myself time to wake up and think things through) helps bring me back down to earth in those moments.

Lots of people do pay private security and alarm firms to keep an eye on things. It's true that's generally not inside the home, and for most people it's unlikely to be video footage stored off-site. I'm not sure how I feel about this, we have one nest cam that covers our entrance hallway, and it's off while we're in the house. I like being able to see what's happened while we're away (oh look, the cat came in...) but the privacy aspect is a little worrying. I guess I could get a generic camera and stream to my NAS, using "motion" to detect motion and then back up to the cloud... but that's non-trivial.

_curious_ 6y ago
"it's off while we're in the house." Are you sure about that?
- Nursie 6y ago
  Yeah, I'd be able to see it using the network if it were streaming video, as I can when it's on. If you mean "it might be listening! How do you know!" in the generic, fear-y sense then we can have that conversation about any network connected device you care to mention.
  - _curious_ 6y ago
    "then we can have that conversation about any network connected device you care to mention." Agreed in that all devices are susceptible to 'listening' at any time without your direction or knowledge.
castillar76 6y ago
One way to ensure it's off when you're in the house: physically turn it off at the mains. :) I have one of these cameras as well, and I just flip off that outlet when we're home for extended periods (it's been off for weeks now thanks to quarantine). Since I've put up some smart-switch stuff, I could plug it into a smart-switch that automatically flips it back on when we leave...but that gets back into the "how do you really know it's off" territory, I guess.
- Nursie 6y ago
  I could, but then you can guarantee we won't switch it back on the day we get burgled. If I don't trust the "on when it says it is" feature, I should probably just get rid of it.

A4ET8a8uTh0 6y ago

Horrifying. My neighbor just installed one of those simple to use cameras in their windows looking at their driveway and our home. The old country had some basic privacy laws, but here I can't do much about it apart from installing blinds. What is this fascination with recording everything at all times?

jfoster 6y ago
In the case of Tesla, Sentry Mode has actually led to plenty of vandals being caught. So there is a tangible upside there, and as far as I know there hasn't been any tangible downside of Sentry Mode. I'm not saying everything needs to always be recorded, but for security it is clear that it can lead to favourable outcomes for the party that wants the security.
- A4ET8a8uTh0 6y ago
  I understand the appeal, but I can't accept the siren song. Frankly, my security model involves living in suburbs. Seriously, how much security do you need and at which point is it too invasive?
  - cameronfraser 6y ago
    You're fighting against a strong current. Mass video surveillance is inevitable and people are welcoming it with open arms. I highly doubt that lawmakers will legislate that people cannot record video of another persons property as a side effect of trying to record their own. At best they may start offering features that blurs out video beyond your property lines (technically possible, but difficult and would require some setup beforehand), however part of the selling point of the doorbell cameras for example is they're catching crimes on other people's property as well as your own.
ssully 6y ago
I think most people get them as a deterrent to break ins, not to spy on their neighbors. At least thats why I have one. I had my house robbed a few years back, which was actually horrifying. Insurance covered all the valuables, but the stuff that hurts is what can't be replaced like things from loved ones who are gone. Also your sense of security gets tarnished after something like that. I still wake up in the middle of the night sure that I hear people moving/talking in my house. Having a camera (and dogs, and just giving myself time to wake up and think things through) helps bring me back down to earth in those moments.