Abstract

Many of the home video surveillance cameras of today are reliant on the “Internet of Things” (IoT). The IoT is a system of interconnected devices that are linked to the cloud. Examples of well-known IoT devices of today include voice assistants like the Amazon Alexa, robot vacuums, and smart thermostats. As the technology of IoT video devices has rapidly developed, sufficient security measures have lagged. Security standards for such devices have gone unregulated and unchecked, since there is no government oversight to mandate foundational security measures for consumer devices. The intersection of high demand for these videos and unregulated security measures is a perfect storm, and Ring is the best example. Ring is facing a class action lawsuit for allegedly failing to properly protect its users’ information when hackers compromised home video streams and threatened families across the U.S. Ring has responded to such incidents by shifting the blame to its consumers while quietly implementing increased security measures.

Ring’s example sets the precedent that the consumers are a canary in a coal mine—if there are security breaches, the consumer will ultimately suffer the consequences. This is unacceptable, particularly for sensitive devices like home video systems. This paper discusses several recent incidents of video device hacking and the harms that result from the security vulnerabilities of such devices. It begins by examining the origins of in-home video surveillance, the home-video surveillance device options today, and the advantages of modern home video devices. It then turns to the hackability and harms that may result when device security systems are easily breached and what can be done to secure these particularly sensitive devices to prevent future harms.

How to Cite:

Georgia Johnson, Consumer in a Coalmine: Lax Security of IoT Video Devices Puts Corporations Before Users, 5 Ariz. L. J. Emerging Tech., no. 4, 2022, https://doi.org/10.2458/azlawjet.5509