Most homeowners install cameras with noble intentions: catching a car thief or identifying a trespasser. But the technology is indiscriminate. A camera that records a thief also records the following, often without their knowledge or consent:

Do not store footage for 90 days. That is a data breach waiting to happen. Store footage for 7-14 days maximum. Most theft reports are filed within 48 hours. Anything older than a week is digital hoarding.

The industry is slowly waking up to consumer privacy demands. Apple’s HomeKit Secure Video encrypts footage end-to-end before it ever touches the cloud. New "privacy cameras" use on-device AI to detect motion without sending the raw image to a server.

We are also seeing the rise of "fogging" technology—cameras that automatically blur any face or license plate that isn't pre-authorized by the homeowner. This is the ethical middle ground: You know a human was at your door, but you don't store their biometric data forever.

We face a simple paradox: To feel safe, we must invite vulnerability.

When you install a traditional lock, the risk ends at the lock’s mechanical integrity. But when you install a smart camera, you introduce a computer with a microphone, a lens, and wireless connectivity. Every computer connected to the internet is a potential target.

Angle your cameras down. A camera mounted at 8 feet should angle down at 30-45 degrees. It should see the top of a visitor's hat and the package on the mat—not the face of the person across the street reading on their porch.