WASHINGTON, D.C. (WWLP)– If you have a home security system you may want to take steps to secure the cameras from hackers looking to spy on you.
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) recently settled with the home security company, Ring after complaints that the company’s poor privacy and lax security let employees spy on customers through their cameras, including those in their bedrooms or bathrooms, and made customers’ videos, including videos of kids, vulnerable to online attackers. They allege that hackers harassed, insulted, and propositioned children and teens through their Ring cameras, with some hackers live streaming customers’ videos.
As part of the settlement, Ring will create a privacy and security program and delete the videos it shouldn’t have, as well as pay $5.8 million to impacted customers.
In a similar security case, the FTC and the Department of Justice (DOJ) is require Amazon to overhaul its deletion practices and implement stringent privacy safeguards to settle charges the company violated the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act Rule (COPPA Rule) and deceived parents and users of the Alexa voice assistant service about its data deletion practices.
According to a complaint filed in a U.S. District Court by the DOJ on behalf of the FTC, Amazon prevented parents from exercising their deletion rights under the COPPA Rule, kept sensitive voice and geolocation data for years, and used it for its own purposes, while putting data at risk of harm from unnecessary access.
Under the proposed federal court order also filed by DOJ, Amazon will be required to delete inactive child accounts and certain voice recordings and geolocation information and will be prohibited from using such data to train its algorithms. The proposed order must be approved by the federal court to go into effect.
If you have video cameras at home, the FTC offers these security enhancements:
- Check if you’ve taken these steps to secure your home security cameras. If you use an app to manage your access, review the privacy settings and permissions.
- Some states give you the right to tell companies to delete your data. Use the U.S. State Privacy Legislation Tracker to find out if your state is one of them.
- If you’re a parent, you have control over the personal information companies collect online from your kids under 13. Learn how to protect your child’s privacy online.
To learn more, check out the FTC’s advice on your guide to protecting your privacy online.
