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from the begun-the-surveillance-wars-have dept.
Some property managers want to install smart home systems and technology like facial recognition because they consider it a convenience for tenants and a security measure. The technology could deter thieves from entering the building, while also making it easier for residents to get inside.
Tenants worry the technology is a new way for landlords to keep a close eye on people in their homes. In New York, a smart intercom system was being pitched to landlords as a way of catching and evicting tenants going against the building's code of conduct.
Property technology is essentially unregulated because it's relatively new. There are no laws covering it, though members of Congress have proposed a bill to keep facial recognition out of federally funded housing. Tenants worry about surveillance and privacy when smart home systems are in place, and have sued landlords for the right to use physical keys.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday November 25 2019, @08:34AM
Why? To get us used to increasing levels of surveillance in every facet of our lives, under the guise of security. But mass surveillance of all forms is far worse for freedom and democracy than any crime it could ever hope to solve.