Doorbell cameras raise privacy and safety concerns
Doorbell cameras raise privacy and safety concerns
https://cbsaustin.com/news/local/doorbell-cameras-raise-privacy-and-safety-concerns
Publish Date: 2026-03-11 12:32:00
Source Domain: cbsaustin.com
AUSTIN, Texas — The front door is the gateway to your home, and doorbell cameras are helping people keep a watchful eye on what is happening outside.
“If someone’s at your door and you don’t know who they are, you don’t have to open your door up,” said Gene Petrino, Lead Security Advisor at Security.org.
Today, there are dozens of doorbell cameras on the market. A basic Ring doorbell starts around $50. A monthly subscription ranges between $5-$20. A Blink doorbell cost around $60, with plans starting at $4. A Google Nest doorbell could set someone back $180, with plans ranging from $6-12.
“Anyone that’s looking at purchasing a security system or camera, really needs to do their research first, make sure they understand the capabilities of it,” said Petrino.
One security expert warns simply owning a doorbell camera can create a false sense of security.
“You have the front, the side, the back, driveway, walkway. Those things are often neglected when you select only a doorbell camera,” said Matt Sailor, CEO of IC Realtime Security Solutions.
The challenge of retrieving video in Nancy Guthrie’s disappearance has also drawn attention to the camera’s flaws.
“They very rarely store on site, meaning on the camera itself. They generally require a subscription. And even when you get the subscription, a lot of the time, the time period in which they archive the data is quite limited,” said Sailor.
Most cameras will save video for 30 to 60 days.
Putting video in the cloud has also raised privacy concerns after Guthrie’s camera reportedly did not have a subscription but authorities were able to retrieve video.
“Generally, there is residual data on any cloud storage plan,” said Sailor.
Ring and Nest’s policies state they may share user data if it’s required by law, such as a court order, or when someone’s life may be in danger. Nest’s policy states that video can be captured when a device is offline. Video will stay in the cloud for varying amounts of time,…
