Community Chat

[KingstonsMom]

Ring and Amazon allegedly ducked for cover when their surveillance devices got hacked, but some of their customers are now firing back ... you can run, but you can't hide.

Ring and Amazon, which owns the security system, are now at the wrong end of a class-action lawsuit, claiming the companies were negligent by not providing "robust" security to fend off hackers.

The named plaintiff -- John Baker Orange -- claims last July someone hacked into his outdoor security cameras and started commenting on his kids who were playing basketball ... encouraging them to get closer to the camera.

Of course, there's the now-infamous video of a hacker talking to a little girl in her bedroom ... telling her he was Santa Claus.

HORRIFYING: A mom in Mississippi says someone hacked the Ring security camera in her 8-year-old daughter's bedroom and started talking to the little girl. "I'm Santa Claus," he said. "Don't you want to be my best friend?"

— FOX 5 DC (@fox5dc) December 16. 2019 

The lawsuit alleges there were at least 6 other hacks across the country. The suit claims Ring and Amazon have blamed the owners of the security system and refused to take any responsibility.

[catter70]

All this technology leaves you open to all kinds of stuff. Smart TV's and phones, even TV cable boxes, I'm sure know and transmit what you're watching back to the cable company. The shopper club cards know where you live and what you purchase. George Orwell was right, big brother is watching in one way or another. Kinda  scary.

[chrystaltree]

Of course, we live in a  "show me the money world".  But I believe Ring when they say that no one has hacked their system.  They have seen no evidence of that.  The problem with Ring and similar home security devices that people do not read the directions carefully and they do not follow the multi level security protections.  People are lazy.  On top of that, hard though it is to believe, there are still people who use the same password for everything.  

[Annabellethecat66]

Everything electronic (smart tv, Alexa you name it) works both ways).

You want information at your fingertips...at a moments notice?  Well...you’re gonna pay for it (and I don’t just mean monetarily).

Haven’t you ever mentioned something (either in a text, an email or...wait for it...verbally....

Then the next thing you know that same subject pops up an email.

I once sat at my daughter’s kitchen table talking to my granddaughter.  She was telling me that she was home from school because she was having cramps ( that time of month).  I never texted, emailed or discussed this subject with anyone afterwards.

Within 1 day I started getting emails about endometriosis and medicines used to ‘cure/help’ cramps. At the time my phone was sitting on the table.  Also nearby was my daughter’s Alexa?  I’m 73 years old and as they say...”that ‘ship’ has sailed a long time ago”.

When I told my granddaughter ( she’s an electronics wizard/typical teenager) about this she gave me that look we’ve all seen from teenagers...the same look that says..’sure...you are imagining things’.

But the next time I saw her she couldn’t wait to tell me she and her friends had started paying attention and kept testing my (air quotes) theory.  Surprise!  Grandma was right!

It just all makes sense...it’s not (as the phrase goes) brain surgery.

If the information comes into your house (or wherever)...it will eventually go out...

We, the people must decide how much of our privacy ( that word doesn’t exist anymore) we want to give up..

Of course we could all go to the moon, but someone would fine a way to mess that up too.....

[a cowboy fan]

My husband works for a company that sells these products.  In that case in Mississippi the child gave the code info to her friend and it was the father of the friend who was speaking to the child. My husband and his coworkers were told that in each case the 

security code info was given out.

[teganslaw]

I don't know why people complain about lack of privacy if they have a Smart TV or Alexa or other such device. Anytime you use internet you give out information. It goes with the territory. Why can't people understand that? 

[shopperqvc]

If the electronic device can "see" or "hear" you it can be used against you. There is no such thing as privacy today. We the consumer have done that to ourselves.

Post a photo of your dinner plate either empty or full. No one cares, but it's done daily. Post that you are leaving for a 2 week vacation, no one but the nearest robber really cares, but it's done all the time.

Post questionable photos of yourself to someone you are dating, or want ot, and again no one cares except the person that will use it against you to gain something.

All of that, and so much more, is what used to be private matters, and was no one else's business now it's out on the web for anyone to see.

I called a business I was dealing with not long ago. The woman I was speaking to told me to get on my tablet and go to a web site. I followed her instructions. When I had just gotten on it, MY tablet took a photo of me. I asked "Did you just snap a picture of me?" Her indirect answer was we need to know for sure who we are talking to. I then asked her to send me the ability to take a picture of her and her latest pay stub so I could be sure she was who she said she was. She, of course, said no. I then told her we were done talking, I would never do business with them, and I hung up the phone after turning off the tablet. 

The young folks say "well if you aren't doing anything illegal, who cares?" I do. No, I'm not doing anything illegal, immoral or unethical, but it's my life and my home and I don't want it on the front page or in the news.

Hold your Social Security number, your medical number, your login info, all your passwords, andthing that can be used to steal your information really tight. Never give out any information to anyone. Someone is waiting to get into your bank account, your charge cards, or anything that they can take from you. Paranoid? We all should be.

[grandma petes]

Our son bought us an Echo Dot two years ago. Loved everything about it.....until.....one morning, my husband and I were having coffee and I mentioned that I wasn't feeling well. Next thing you know...."Alexa" said, "I'm sorry you are not feeling well. Maybe a cup,of tea will help". We looked at each other in total disbelief....needless to say, I unplugged it, put it back in the box and put it away in a closet. I know there are so many chances to be hacked with all of the electronic gadgets we own, but that was just beyond creepy and way too personal for it to be a fluke. And, I would like to add that a day or two prior to that, my husband told a silly joke and, yep, you guessed it....Alexa laughed....nope....nope...nope.....way too unnerving for me.😳😳

[Snowpuppy]

If a hacker, much like your neighborhood burglar wants "in", they'll get in.

Adding 2 step authentication? Wonderful. Now they have your smart phone number, too.

[millieshops]

@a cowboy fanThat info makes sense to me.

When a huge company has sold hundreds of thousands of an item and there is a tiny number of problems, I suspect user error until there's reason to think worse.

In the case of the little girl sharing the password -  do children really even need to know the passwords to devices that need to have passwords?