5 Smart Doorbell Brands with Poor Privacy Scores

Smart doorbells create a sense of security by allowing you to see who is at your door no matter where you are. But this convenience may come at the cost of your privacy. It’s important to remember that some brands don’t have a great track record when it comes to protecting your data.

Installing a 24/7 camera at your front door comes with some risks, but you don’t have to give up your privacy to have it. Unfortunately, many of the most popular smart doorbell brands have serious privacy concerns. Here’s a rundown of what you need to know.

Ring

Let’s start with Ring, who became a pioneer in the field of smart doorbells. Ring built Close relationships with law enforcement agencies throughout the United States. While this may seem like a good thing, it means the police can request the recording of your Ring doorbell without a warrant. This raises serious concerns about potential surveillance and abuse, especially for those involved in protests or other events where privacy is critical.

In addition to cooperating with the police, Ring was also caught transfer of user data to third-party trackers. Remember those targeted ads that seem to follow you all over the internet? Data sharing can help facilitate this. And remember the reports Ring employees watch user videos And strangers gain access to cameras (and talk to children).

Euphie

Eufy positions itself as a privacy-friendly alternative in the smart home world. They focus on local storage, leading you to believe that your videos remain on your home network. However, this illusion was shattered in late 2022 when Euphie was caught uploading footage to the cloud. This vulnerability exposed user videos to unauthorized viewing, which completely contradicts their privacy claims.

To make matters worse, Euphie handled the situation very poorly. The company initially denied the existence of any vulnerabilities, then went silent for three weeks and removed lines from its Privacy Pledge. Finally this admitted to a lack of security in the live view function on the web portal. All this has left a bad taste in the mouths of many users and makes it difficult to trust the company again.

Wise

Wyze, known for its affordable smart home devices, has faced many privacy and security issues in the past. In 2023 Significant security flaw discovered in their surveillance cameras. This allowed unauthorized access to users’ video streams, with some reporting they could see live feeds from users’ cameras when they opened the Wyze app.

This all sounds pretty bad, and it is, but what’s worse is that it happened. again just five months later. This has led many publications (including How-To Geek) to stop recommending Wyze products. While they usually resolve these issues quickly with firmware updates, this raises questions about their initial security practices and potential vulnerabilities in the future.

Eken and Tuck (and related brands)

Now about a few brands whose names do not have the same recognition. Eken Group Ltd. is a company that produces video intercoms under various brands, including Eken, Tuck, Fishbot, Rakeblue, Andoe and others. These inexpensive options can often be found at places like Amazon and Walmart. Early 2024 Consumer Reports has found some troubling safety flaws in these devices..

The problem lies with the wireless protocols used by these doorbells. Many rely on older, less secure protocols, which make them easier targets for cyberattacks. In some cases, the doorbells themselves transmitted sensitive information such as Wi-Fi network names and passwords in plain text, making them ready for use.

Basically, someone can easily hack your doorbell by simply pressing its button and linking it to their account on the Aiwit app (the app used by all these brands). And if that weren’t enough, anyone with the doorbell’s serial number could access images of it. This makes it incredibly vulnerable to widespread espionage.

Eken Group eventually released firmware updates to address these issues, but the initial lack of security makes them very difficult to trust.

---

If you’re considering a smart doorbell, it’s important to do your research. Look beyond flashy features to consider the company’s privacy policies, data collection practices, and security reputation. Choose a brand that prioritizes your privacy and offers strong encryption and regular security updates.