Video Doorbell Advice and Settings for Opting Out of the Surveillance State
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Video doorbells are handy, but they’re a threat to privacy. I spoke to experts about why you might ditch your doorbell, and how to safeguard your video.
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Simon Hill Gear Mar 1, 2026 7:02 AM How to Use a Video Doorbell Without Feeding the Surveillance State Video doorbells are handy, but they’re a threat to privacy. I spoke to experts about why you might ditch your doorbell, and how to safeguard your video. Photo-Illustration: Wired Staff; Getty Images Save this story Save this story Maybe you bought a video doorbell to make sure you don’t miss the pizza arriving or to avoid getting out of bed for door-to-door sales reps. What you didn’t bank on was that your home security system might be turned into a tool of the surveillance state. Video doorbells have been in the news a lot lately, from Ring’s creepy Super Bowl ad to the retrieval of Nest doorbell footage in the Nancy Guthrie case , and people are beginning to ask: Where is my video going, who might use it, and for what? I have expert advice for you on how to protect your privacy and the privacy of other folks in your neighborhood, and what your rights are with regard to video requests from law enforcement. I’ll also highlight the best video doorbells to use and how to set them up in a privacy-conscious way. Ring Rinse Repeat We have a complicated relationship with Ring here at WIRED. We stopped testing its doorbells and cameras for our buying guides in 2022 , briefly resumed following a policy change, and recently reinstated our ban last year over concerns about the data it collects , how that data is shared , and its partnerships with law enforcement . The company has repeatedly announced deals to make video more accessible to law enforcement and then canceled them after public outcry. But the furore surrounding the Super Bowl ad, which shows a network of Ring cameras across a community using AI to track a lost dog, hit new heights. Senator Ed Markey urged his fellow Americans to “oppose this creepy surveillance state." Privacy expert Chris Gilliard described the ad as “... a clumsy attempt by Ring to put a cuddly face on a rather dystopian reality: widespread ne...
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