Collaborate Disseminate
It used to be that surveillance cameras were passive. Maybe they just recorded, and no one looked at the video unless they needed to. Maybe a bored guard watched a dozen different screens, scanning for something interesting. In either case, the video was only stored for a few days because storage was expensive. Increasingly, none of that is true. Recent… Continue reading Computers and Video Surveillance
The ACLU’s Jay Stanley has just published a fantastic report: "The Dawn of Robot Surveillance" (blog post here) Basically, it lays out a future of ubiquitous video cameras watched by increasingly sophisticated video analytics software, and discusses the potential harms to society. I’m not going to excerpt a piece, because you really need to read the whole thing…. Continue reading Video Surveillance by Computer
"Hey Siri; I’m getting pulled over" can be a shortcut: Once the shortcut is installed and configured, you just have to say, for example, "Hey Siri, I’m getting pulled over." Then the program pauses music you may be playing, turns down the brightness on the iPhone, and turns on "do not disturb" mode. It also sends a quick text to… Continue reading iOS Shortcut for Recording the Police
The home surveillance cams have hard-coded credentials. Continue reading Guardzilla Home Cameras Open to Anyone Wanting to Watch Their Footage
The New York Times is reporting on the security measures people are using to protect nativity displays…. Continue reading Stealing Nativity Displays
The Anonymous Calgary Hivemind has been systematically hacking into smart home security cameras to warn their owners. Continue reading We Asked a Hacker Who Spoke to a Guy Through His Nest Cam Why He Did It
The man identified himself as a “white hat hacker” and part of the “Anonymous Calgary Mindhive.” Continue reading Hacker Talks to Arizona Man Directly Through His IoT Security Camera
On its first sol on the red planet, the mission sent home images of a dusty landscape, a lander selfie, and a wide shot of Mars from space. Continue reading NASA’s InSight Lander Is Already Snapping Amazing Pictures of Mars
Internet-enabled and IoT devices have made it possible to deploy a custom home security system. One can purchase many wireless security cameras, sensors and motion detectors and install them around their home or property. The beauty of a DIY system is … Continue reading This D-Link Camera Has a Huge Security Flaw, According to Consumer Reports
Both the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) are hiding surveillance cameras in streetlights. According to government procurement data, the DEA has paid a Houston, Texas company called Cowboy Streetlight Concealments LLC roughly $22,000 since June 2018 for "video recording and reproducing equipment." ICE paid out about $28,000 to Cowboy Streetlight Concealments over the same… Continue reading Hidden Cameras in Streetlights