NaNinJul 16, 2025

I need help advocating for privacy in my HOA, which wants to set up cameras in common areas

https://lemmy.dbzer0.com/post/49094628

I need help advocating for privacy in my HOA, which wants to set up cameras in common areas - Divisions by zero

A new neighbor moved in and is really advocating for them, but I think most people in the HOA are split. It’s come up after some recent thefts after someone left a garage door open. I’m thinking of organizing my arguments like this: 1. Even with a camera capturing a thief’s face, police are unlikely to actually catch the person or retreive the stolen property. 2. Invasion of personal privacy, I don’t like being tracked and my whereabouts being monitored 3. Surrendering biometric data without my consent 4. Police / ICE using the data without permission to harass our residents How does this sound? It’s so exhausting fighting against this. Does anyone have any other good points or articles that can provide support? Many thanks in advance

Show threadNaibofTabrJul 16, 2025

These “user-friendly” network cameras are frequently bought and set up by people who have no idea what they’re doing, which leads to thousands of them being accessible to anyone on the Internet:

Bitsight Identifies Thousands of Security Cameras Openly Accessible on the Internet

Wyze cameras let some owners see into a stranger’s home — again

Security startup Verkada hack exposes 150,000 security cameras in Tesla factories, jails, and more

Somebody’s Watching: Hackers Breach Ring Home Security Cameras

Even the companies that make and distribute these cameras don’t secure them properly.

If the HOA insists on installing cameras, you should insist that they hire a professional to install and configure them correctly and maintain them long-term to prevent security breaches. Someone has to keep the firmware/software up to date when the manufacturer releases security patches and bug fixes, not just for the cameras but also for the network they’re connected to. This means you don’t just need to pay for one-time installation, you need to hire an employee long-term.

I would also ask the pushy neighbor if he was specifically planning on buying Wyze cameras for this. They’ve had multiple security problems in recent years.

40K Security Cameras Found Compromised Online | Bitsight

Bitsight TRACE has found over 40,000 exposed cameras streaming live on the internet. Learn where these cameras are, the risk, and how to protect yourself.

Bitsight
Show threadNaNin
Yes! Thank you so much these are great points! And yeah, they are proposing Wyze cameras
Jul 16, 2025 at 12:24pmWeb
Show threadNaibofTabrJul 16, 2025
Might also be worth pointing out in an HOA meeting that if this guy buys and configures the cameras then he has access to watch everybody. How much does the rest of the community trust this guy to not be creeping on everyone else?