Privacy threats are on the rise, including dangers inside our own homes. From routers that may be untrustworthy to smart speakers that people fear could be listening, even our technology can present as a privacy menace.
Not all of these worries are unfounded, but there are more ways than ever for outside parties to access your personal information and spy on you at home. If that's a concern for you, here are the top privacy priorities to consider. Don't worry, you can still use your smart technology -- but adopt practices like these for improvements.
Read more: The Top Home Security Myths You Need to Stop Believing
1. Keep the shutters on your security cams and smart displays closed
New smart devices have physical shutters and buttons to confirm privacy.
When smart displays first started appearing, they came with cameras to enable video chats and similar features. When those cameras started making people nervous, makers began putting physical shutters and off buttons on their smart devices so people could quickly shut them down and confirm the cameras couldn't be used remotely.
In my experience, these cams rarely get much use and are best left turned off permanently until you're ready to make a video call to a family member. The same is true of the mics in some smart speakers, which you can shut off when not in use if you're worried about the speaker listening in. For the record, while you can find a lot of internet rumors about eavesdropping speakers, today's models require the wake word to start listening in, and accidents are typically confined to picking up similar-sounding words in conversations, music or TVs.
The same is true of security cameras. Look for cams that have shutters or "off" positions (like facing down) if you're concerned about privacy.
2. Switch off opt-in and data-sharing features
You can disable most Ring AI features in one swoop.
I spoke with Laurie Selkowitz, partner in Greenberg Glusker's Cybersecurity and Privacy Group, about increasing home privacy with smart devices to find some good advice.Â
"The biggest mistake people make is treating smart home devices like appliances instead of connected computers. Once you think of them as computers that happen to live in your home, the privacy decisions become much more obvious," Selkowitz said.Â
"A good rule of thumb is to enable only the features you actually use," she said. "Many devices collect far more data than they need to function, so turning off things like unnecessary cloud storage, voice history or activity logs can significantly reduce your exposure."
You can often change how companies manage and share your home data, but the methods are typically buried deep in settings, so you need to know where to look. I can help with that.
Here's my guide on Alexa settings you may want to adjust, including options that control how long Amazon saves your voice recordings and other privacy features to help make voice assistant use better.
I also have a complete guide on Ring security features you may want to turn off, including all AI features if those recognition capabilities worry you, automatic data sharing in your neighborhood for tools like Search Party and disabling Amazon Sidewalk so it won't share your bandwidth with strangers.
3. Use local storage instead of cloud storage
Eufy's two-pack is an excellent local storage 4K camera option.
If you use security cameras, you have two choices for saving video (and you really need to save video; otherwise, the camera isn't much more than live views).
The first option most cameras offer these days is cloud storage. But many people don't like the idea of trusting companies to manage their video data, and those cloud databases have been hacked or accidentally shared in the past.
The second option, local storage, is much better for your privacy. Local storage uses either a microSD card or a hub with a built-in drive to store video. You may have to clear out videos occasionally, but it keeps your data in your own hands. Lots of brands offer local storage if you choose the right setup, including Eufy, Lorex, Blink and Wyze.
Just remember, even if videos are stored locally, police can still confiscate them with a warrant.
4. Close your shades on a schedule
Smart shades like those from Lutron can boost privacy even when you aren't home.
People probably aren't peering through your windows at night, but that doesn't mean you should make it easy. Today's smart shades can automatically close on a schedule or when the sun goes down, even if you aren't home yet. That helps guarantee extra privacy and may even deter burglars scouting for a target.
5. Check old Zillow and real estate listings
You may want to check what information remains about your home on old listings.
If you recently moved into a new home within the past year or two, I suggest checking the old selling or rental listing pages for your address. In some cases, these get left up for years after the home has already changed hands.
Those old listings could be an unwelcome window into exactly where your address is, what your home looks like on the inside and even access points a burglar might want to know. Also, people may get the wrong idea and assume it's still available to rent or buy -- I've had more than a few people peer through my windows for just that reason.
It's better for your privacy if you run a quick check on platforms like Zillow, Trulia and local real estate sites to see if your home is still there. Then you can request it be removed.
6. Blur your address on Google Maps
If you don't want someone getting a good look at your home from the street, you can blur it on map apps.
There's another place your home shows up to anyone willing to look -- Google Maps, especially when using satellite and street view images.
Well aware of this fact, Google offers an option on its website (not its app) to blur out your address for privacy. We have a complete guide on how to do that here, but it's free and takes only a couple of minutes. Apple offers a similar service in its Look Around map app function.
7. Switch to open-source or third-party smart home controls
Homey's devices and platforms are more privacy focused than big brand home apps.
If you're worried about big brand names having easy access to your data, you can still get a full set of smart home features by using alternative platforms. You have several choices, notably the open-source, build-it-yourself Home Assistant and the third-party, privacy-first Homey hub and platform.
The catch is that these platforms will take much more work to set up and customize, and they tend to be buggier and require more problem-solving than you'll find on any brand app. But if you don't mind tinkering, these are great ways to mandate privacy while getting the high-tech smart features you want.
If you're interested in off-the-grid options, check out my off-the-grid home security guide. This is also a great time to check out cheap home security systems and affordable smart locks.Â