Skip to main content

New ADT survey reveals deep-seated insecurities over smart home security

In a consumer-privacy survey released by ADT, the national stalwart of home and business security solutions, U.S. consumers spoke out about their concerns regarding smart-home technology, a rapidly expanding corner of consumer tech that Americans alone are forecast to pour billions into in just the next few years.

Given all the ruckus surrounding security and privacy within the smart home space, this poll lands at a time when confidence in some of our most cherished smart-home tech may be at an all-time low.

ADT

Key findings of the report indicate that over 90% of the people surveyed are demanding greater safety protocols be put in place by the majority of smart-home brands, with specific focus paid to safeguarding personal data. Chief concerns for those surveyed include hacking (75%) and government spying through our smart cameras and speakers (53%).

The specifics of ADT’s report indicate that “more than 40% of those surveyed admit they don’t feel knowledgeable on the topic [of privacy protections]…” This suggests more than a third of respondents are demanding indestructible firewalls be built around their smart homes, without sufficient awareness of just who builds these walls and how they even work. While it may seem easy to point the finger at smart brands for keeping consumers in the dark, the truth of the matter may be a little more complex.

In early 2019, ADT rolled out the Consumer Privacy Initiative, “… an industry-level initiative to unite the smart home security industry and produce clear guiding principles … for how security providers manage consumer data and protect their privacy.” Major focus areas outlined in the ongoing manifesto include accountability, data correction & deletion, guidance & use, and transparency.

Leading smart-security brands like Alarm.com, Sercomm, and Vector Security have united with ADT to expand on the practices laid out in the initiative. The doors are open for other companies to come aboard, and this is certainly a case of “the more the merrier” because, let’s face it, those terms-and-conditions pages could do with some enriching.

Redesigning the ways that smart brands educate their users by itself may not be enough. Users will also need to engage with the new and interactive tools brands give them to understand how their data is being protected.

Editors' Recommendations

Michael Bizzaco
Michael Bizzaco has been writing about and working with consumer tech for well over a decade, writing about everything from…
Samsung reveals futuristic new smart home appliances for CES 2023
A person using the new Bespoke fridge touchscreen.

The first day of CES 2023 is right around the corner, but Samsung isn't waiting to introduce the world to its new lineup of smart home appliances. Specifically, the Bespoke lineup is now on full display, with new smart refrigerators, smart ovens, and smart washers making an appearance.

Samsung’s Bespoke lineup has long been a premium choice for smart home shoppers -- and that trend looks to continue throughout this year. One of the biggest upgrades is for the Bespoke 4-Door Flex Refrigerator with Family Hub+, which now offers a massive 32-inch touchscreen (up from a 21.5-inch display) that’s embedded directly into its glass panel door. The screen will support the new Family Hub software, allowing you to stream your favorite shows, share photos, or check the status of connected devices.

Read more
HomeKit Secure Video: Why it’s great and why you should use it
Customers inspect the new Apple HomePod at an Apple Store on February 9, 2018 in San Francisco, California.

Apple's HomeKit Secure Video is a year or two late to the smart security party, but the company made sure it arrived with plenty of skills, customizations, and algorithmic expertise.

Jumping on the HomeKit bandwagon, HomeKit Secure Video is an Apple-exclusive monitoring suite that you can get access to through an iCloud+ subscription. Offering a range of impressive surveillance features, instant notifications, and geofencing abilities, HomeKit Secure Video checks all the boxes when it comes to safeguarding your home, business, and personal data.

Read more
Vivint’s new updates make its smart home system even smarter
vivint doorbell outdoor camera pro updates  lifestyle 1

I've had a Vivint smart home for about 18 months, ever since reviewing the Vivint Doorbell Camera Pro and the Vivint Outdoor Camera Pro. For the most part, I find them to be incredibly smart and useful. Plus, the integration with Google and Philips Hue in particular up the "whole-home smart home" game when I can unlock my front door and have my lights turn on. This week, Vivint announced updates to the Doorbell Pro and Outdoor Camera Pro, and it's great to see that "smart" extends to the company itself. Let's dive in.
On-device recording
Vivint upgraded all of its camera products -- the Vivint Doorbell Camera Pro, Outdoor Camera Pro, and Indoor Camera Pro -- in a pretty significant way. Vivint added on-device recording for 24/7 monitoring for up to 10 days. All that footage is stored on the device, which is significant in one keyway. The previous generation of the cameras streamed footage in real-time from the cameras to a separately purchased smart hard drive. From there, if you wanted to review the footage, it would stream back over Wi-Fi to Vivint's servers, and back to your phone.

Put simply, this can cause a significant hit on your home Wi-Fi's bandwidth. With the new cameras, the footage is stored on a secure SD card locally and only transmitted when it's being streamed or viewed. Meanwhile, onboard AI will continue generating smart clips detailing what happens (people, packages, etc). Plus, aside from freeing up bandwidth on your home network, local recording storage also works even when your Wi-Fi is down. All told, it's enough to get me pretty geeked, so I'll be excited to test these things out. That's the biggest news that covers all the devices, so let's get into each device in particular.
Vivint Doorbell Camera Pro

Read more