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TMA and ESA dispute Google statement
VIENNA, Va. and IRVING, Texas. – Recent reporting by Business Insider, CNN Business and many other publications have highlighted the undisclosed, on-board microphone discovered in Google’s Nest Guard Security Device—raising serious privacy concerns among consumers.
March 5, 2019 By SP&T Staff
The Monitoring Association (TMA) and the Electronic Security Association (ESA), trade associations representing professionals who install and monitor security and life safety technologies in homes and businesses, call into question the validity of Google’s published statements concerning the use of microphones in security devices. According to TMA and ESA, statements such as, “security systems often include microphones to provide features that rely on sound sensing,” misrepresent the vast majority of today’s residential security systems installed.
The associations say that, since audio recording includes privacy and legal complexities, it’s not extremely common in residential installations.
“Adding audio surveillance can certainly make for a more robust system,” said ESA President, Chris Mosley, in a prepared statement. “We’re seeing exciting advancements in the audio surveillance category, such as acoustic sensors and microphones that can help us detect gunfire or when voices become elevated that could indicate potential violence. However, sweeping statements to infer that residential systems commonly have this feature are simply not accurate.”
Louroe Electronics, an ESA Member company and 40-year-old manufacturer of audio-based technologies concurs with this analysis. “Sound-based technology in security systems is common in law enforcement, institutional and smart city installations. However, the use of microphones for surveillance in residences is extremely rare on account of heightened expectations of privacy,” said the company’s CEO, Richard Brent.
“Security systems are now an important part of the customer home experience in that we can integrate with audio assistance,” said Ivan Spector, TMA President. “However professionally installed and monitored security systems are not designed to record data and conversations unbeknownst to our customers.”
According to both associations, adding microphones and audio capabilities to security systems adds another level of precaution that must be taken to install the system in a way that protects the privacy of the consumer. Professionally installed systems have the backing of technology experts who know the full capability of the system and its components and can appropriately safeguard these systems, so as not to compromise privacy.
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