ᐅ Surveillance Cameras: Pros and Cons

Created on: 16 Dec 2019 14:55
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Andrea85
Hello everyone,

What are your thoughts on security cameras? I am considering installing two outside. I have already looked through the websites of the regional data protection authorities and noted the essentials (notice sign, deletion policy, masking public areas, etc.). The main goal is deterrence and to be informed about what happens when I am away.

Do you have cameras on your property or even more, like an alarm system? What are your reasons for or against them?

Thank you and best regards,
Andrea85
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ludwig88sta
22 Dec 2019 20:00
The legal text alone often doesn’t provide much clarity. It becomes more relevant or effective to look at corresponding legal commentaries or even court rulings related to the case being discussed here: "Recording exclusively of a private area (one’s own property) and streaming it live unencrypted on the internet."

Streaming unencrypted over the internet doesn’t necessarily mean posting the URL on my social media channel so that others can discover it. I can create a cryptic and extremely long URL for my camera, making it unlikely that anyone will come across it by accident. @Mycraft since you said it would then be pointless.

However, there are websites that list open IP cameras (search on DuckDuckGo for "open IP cams")… So it is possible that even one’s own camera—despite a cryptic and long URL—might eventually be found by some entity.
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Tassimat
22 Dec 2019 20:23
What's the point of this nonsense? Streaming publicly but posting it somewhere no one can find it? WHY?
Oh, the pain of reading this...
Mycraft22 Dec 2019 20:31
ludwig88sta schrieb:

Streaming unencrypted on the internet doesn’t mean I post the URL on my social media channel so others will notice it. I can create a cryptic and extremely long URL for my camera so no one stumbles upon it by accident. @Mycraft since you said it would be pointless then.

The length of the URL is irrelevant, and it does not matter at all which language it is in or whether it consists of cryptic or special characters.
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boxandroof
22 Dec 2019 20:33
Security through obscurity as a security principle is more often met with condescending smiles than taken seriously.

I don’t understand the purpose here, is it meant as a confusion tactic?
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ludwig88sta
22 Dec 2019 20:35
From page 7 onwards, the original poster first mentioned "unencrypted," and if the stream is encrypted accordingly, it is no longer public!?
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boxandroof
22 Dec 2019 20:40
That naturally depends.