Website Lets Users Peep on Homeowners’ Security Video Feeds

If you don’t configure your security system correctly, it could be sabotaging you by allowing voyeurs access to your home.

Security cameras aren’t uncommon in this day and age. We’ve become accustomed to constantly being recorded in just about every conceivable place outside our homes. Whether you’re in the park, on the beach, or shopping for groceries, odds are your movements are being digitally captured at some point.

But sites like the Russian insecam.org aren’t just picking up parking lot feeds for potential voyeurs. Without appropriate password protection, many people are unwittingly providing a live feed of their daily lives even within the walls of their own homes.

A sizable section of the site is dedicated specifically to cameras right here in the U.S. Worst of all, those in question almost certainly have no idea that the feeds are accessible outside of their private use.

Not only can you select the country from which you’d like to choose camera feeds, helpful categories allow users to specify whether they’d like to watch farms, swimming pools, houses, or even schools. For that disturbingly personal touch, each feed will also use Google Maps to show where the feed is coming from. Really.

It was a matter of moments to find cameras observing private citizens’ kitchens, or even multi-camera live feeds from every angle of their house. There was a nauseating moment in which I saw a woman go about the familiar ritual of cleaning while her dog pranced around her legs. Without intervention, people will remain vulnerable until they either become aware of the problem or are victimized because of it.

Considering that cameras are present even in some public restrooms, dressing rooms, and other sensitive locations, this isn’t a problem that anyone using video security can afford to ignore.

The moral of the story is rather simple: An unsecured surveillance camera does more to jeopardize the privacy of you and your loved ones than not having one at all. If you haven’t taken a hard look at the security you’re currently using at work or at home, this might be a good time to ensure that it’s not actually sabotaging your privacy.

Follow Nate Church @Get2Church on Twitter for the latest news in gaming and technology, and snarky opinions on both.