Physical Surveillance#

What are Smart Devices?#

Smart devices include any device that is connected to the internet, including AirTags, security cameras, and more. These devices can be used in everyday life to enhance experiences, allowing individuals to monitor their home for potential break ins, feed pets while away, find lost objects, and more. However, while many smart devices provide convenience in everyday life, they can also be used maliciously to have mental and physical impacts far greater than anything online.

Airtags and trackers#

While airtags are normally used to keep track of important items, they can also be used with malicious intentions to track the location of another person if snuck into their backpack, pocket, etc. Built-in features exist in both Android and Apple phones to detect if a tracker is following or moving with you, and additional apps exist to do the same thing.

For built-in detection: Go to Settings > Safety & emergency > Unknown tracker alerts, and turn it on If you want to run a manual scan, you can also tap the “Scan now” button

Some examples of stand alone apps that can detect unwanted trackers are AirGuard and Tracker Detect.

Home surveillance#

Many smart devices can be used maliciously, but the ones of importance are ones that can be accessed through the internet and ones that receive audio/video or interact with their surroundings. For example, while a security camera is usually helpful, it can be abused to spy on someone without their knowledge or consent. Some smart devices are not as easily recognizable, such as electric cars, pet food dispensers, thermostat systems, or TVs.

To help mitigate risks, ensure that: If you don’t need a smart device, turn it off or get rid of it. If you do need or want a smart device, ensure that it does not collect more information than it should (e.g. cover the camera on an Amazon Echo Show) and ensure that any accounts that can access the device are secure and only accessible by people you know and trust.

Sources: https://www.techsafety.org/iot-overview https://support.google.com/android/answer/13658562?hl=en