Why Home Security Should Also Focus on Keeping Your Data Secure
- Written by Alex Talevski, Chief Executive Officer, Swann
It’s undeniable that online shopping and e-commerce are on the rise, and with more Australians getting goods delivered to their homes, package theft is on the rise. Within the last year, 21% of Australians (an estimated 4.2 million people), have had their parcel lost or stolen from their front door, making e-commerce a heightened security risk.
In a perfect world, we would all be at home when our packages are delivered, thereby preventing any opportunity for package thieves to strike. However, many of us don’t have the option to stay home and wait for our package all day, so our deliveries wait patiently on the front doorstep until we return — sometimes not until several hours later. As a result, the requirement for deterrents like a noticeable home security system is increasingly important.
When picking a home security system to protect their home and family, most people look at the most obvious tech requirements being easy to install indoor and outdoor weatherproof cameras, motion sensors and alarm systems to name a few. However, all security cameras are not created equal when it comes to protecting your data privacy.
Earlier this year, the Australian federal government committed to removing certain high-risk Chinese-made cameras from government buildings over concerns that the data collected from them could endanger national security. Australian consumers can still buy these cameras for home security purposes from larger retailers, nevertheless. Some of these retailers have come under fire for selling these security cameras that pose risks to the general population, as a home or business owner could unknowingly install these cameras near a government building. While the threat to consumers may not seem as alarming as the threat to national security, there can still be serious consequences.
Malicious actors can use these poorly encrypted cameras to infiltrate users’ networks and take control of their personal data and devices. Such attacks can threaten users' privacy, identity, data, devices and can even be used to expose physical home security through access to door locks, garages and disabling security systems. This can lead to significant losses in precious digital assets, identity, and finances.
The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) protects consumers regarding the processing of personal data, and in particular, their right to the protection of personal data.
Though this standard was drafted and passed by the European Union (EU), it imposes obligations on organisations anywhere in the world, as long as they target or collect personal data. Not all security systems are GDPR compliant though, and non-compliant products are still able to share consumer data with other regions.
Aside from the security system itself, the web service that is used to host the system should be 100% secure. Using a web service that is a Certified Strategic Service Provider under the Hosting Certification Framework, which provides guidance to customers, enabling them to identify and source hosting services that meet enhanced privacy, sovereignty, and security requirements.
The Hosting Certification Framework Strategic Certification represents the highest level of assurance to customers and offers the most secure storage solutions for customer held data.
For example, Swann devices manufactures devices that have local storage and the Amazon Web Services (AWS) in controlled AWS Regions to ensure that all personal data is held locally according to the Amazon agreement. This means that customer data cannot be moved away from the AWS region or country selected by the user. Furthermore, Swann’s security devices are National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), and GDPR Compliant.
As e-commerce continues to grow and package theft becomes more prevalent, the need for reliable and secure home security systems is clear. However, when making choices regarding the protection of our personal property, it’s judicious to remember that keeping our personal data secure is equally important.
Choosing a GDPR and NDAA compliant security system, which is hosted by a Certified Strategic Service Provider web service in your local region can reduce the risk of customer data being shared with potentially malicious third parties, thereby preventing the chances of identity theft and/or loss of any precious digital assets and finances.
