Member-only story
Forget the Surveillance State; You’re Already Being Watched
A worthier adversary already knows every single move you make
That’s a picture of something most homes have, a doorbell. I remember when one of our neighbours upgraded their doorbell, and it was smart enough to ring when someone went on their driveway. Imagine that! You’d always know when someone was coming up to your house. Or when someone was using your driveway to turn around. Also, when a pedestrian or cyclist had to move off the road to avoid traffic. Okay, it had its flaws.
But now there are cameras in doorbells. You can see when someone is in front of your house, in your yard, or on your porch. Porch pirates, be damned. With its motion-activated camera, the doorbell lets you see everything that happens. That’s right, everything! No one is committing a crime on your doorbell’s watch.
Guess what else your neighbour’s doorbell sees? Anytime you leave your house. Your neighbours probably know when you have packages delivered or if you’ve forgotten to lock your car and when your kids get off the bus. Darn, your kid ran their bike into a car parked on the road. Don’t worry, though; your neighbours reported them to law enforcement and posted the video on Facebook. Your whole community knows now. That escalated quickly.