Is the next generation of security tech too advanced for its own good? That’s a concern for the latest smart home security cameras, which employ facial recognition technology to learn your family’s faces and track potential intruders. Here’s what you need to know about the pros and cons of this new home security tech.
How Smart Security Cameras Work
Many of the latest smart security cameras use artificial intelligence to detect and remember the faces of anyone who visits your home. Over time, these systems build a database of friends and family and alert you when they detect an unrecognized person.
This tech is still in its infancy and isn’t foolproof, but the additional layer of security makes it an exciting addition to a home security system. Facial recognition at home also opens up a number of useful features. For instance, you can set smartphone alerts when your children walk in the house, which helps you give older children more independence without worrying about their location.
Facial Recognition and Privacy Concerns
Many other places already use the same facial recognition technology employed by smart security cameras. Google, Facebook, brick-and-mortar businesses, and law enforcement agencies apply the technology for everything from photo album management to surveillance. Facial recognition technology is part of a growing conversation about privacy since these cameras and AI programs build databases of unique biometric data that could, one day, be used for nefarious purposes.
In November 2018, CNN and the Washington Post reported on a disturbing Amazon patent that would allow all Ring doorbell cameras to record suspicious individuals and alert homeowners and law enforcement to their presence. Amazon’s interest in using private security cameras to alert law enforcement has many groups concerned about the privacy risks for individuals. Attorneys for the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) have spoken out against facial recognition technology, calling it a disturbing vision of surveillance in the future.
Other privacy concerns are more immediate. Using these smart cameras puts your family’s biometric data in the hands of large companies that are often targeted for hacks and security breaches. Companies like Amazon and Google make security a top priority, but large-scale data breaches like the Equifax breach in 2017 show that even the most secure servers are potentially vulnerable.
Finally, networks like Amazon’s Neighbors app allow users to share their security footage to alert others of suspicious individuals, but the wide-angle footage provided by these cameras could allow potential thieves to pinpoint your home’s exact location.
How to Keep Your Family Safe
Privacy concerns for smart security cameras are valid, but the broader privacy issues associated with the technology are difficult to avoid. Since social media platforms are already developing facial recognition databases, your biometric data may already exist on a private server, whether you use these cameras or not.
The immediate benefits of increased security and independence for older children are attractive. If you can stomach the inevitable loss of privacy in the digital age, using these cameras may not be any more dangerous than using Facebook, Google, or a face-sensing smartphone. Opting to keep your camera’s footage to yourself can enhance your privacy even further.
Where to Start
Are smart cameras and facial recognition software a privacy risk for you and your family? The surprising answer may be yes, and the risk may be difficult or impossible to avoid. But that doesn’t mean you should completely avoid the technology. Before you make a purchase, research home security systems to make sure your family’s data will be used responsibly.
