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Show HN: Open-source private home security camera system (end-to-end encryption)

(github.com)
551 points arrdalan | 18 comments | 30 Nov 24 22:13 UTC | HN request time: 0.21s | source | bottom

I needed a security camera inside my house, one that would send motion notifications to my smartphone and would allow me to livestream remotely. However, I could not find one that I could trust due to privacy concerns. Many of them upload the plaintext of videos to their servers and none is fully open-source as far as I know. Therefore, I decided to use my spare time to build one from scratch. Called Privastead (as in Private Homestead), it uses OpenMLS for end-to-end encryption (between the camera local hub and the smartphone) and is mostly implemented in Rust (except for part of the Android app that is implemented in Kotlin). The system is functional now and I've been using it in my own house for the past couple of weeks.

Based on some of the discussions I've seen online, it seems like there are other users who are also concerned with the privacy implications of home security cameras. Therefore, I decided to open source my solution for everyone to use. If you need a privacy-preserving home security camera, please give it a try and provide feedback. Note that trying out the system requires you to have a supported IP camera, a local machine connected to the IP camera, a server, and an Android smartphone. I have put together detailed instructions on setting up the system, which I hope makes it easier for others to get the system up and running.

In addition, consider contributing to the project. The prototype currently has a lot of limitations: mainly that it has only been tested with one IP camera, only allows the use of one camera, and only supports Android. I'll continue to improve the prototype as time permits, but progress will be much faster if there are other contributors as well.

1. KetoManx64 ◴[01 Dec 24 01:11 UTC] No.42285332[source]▶
Wow!! Very cool project. The reasons you mentioned above are the exact reason that I have not setup security cameras at my house, but this makes me reconsider. Combined with the OSS firmware: https://github.com/openmiko/openmiko this would make a killer combo for privacy conscious individuals.
replies(2): >>42285367 #>>42285442 #
2. ranger_danger ◴[01 Dec 24 01:18 UTC] No.42285367[source]▶
The best time to have security cameras is yesterday. Same for a dash cam. Please protect yourself and your loved ones.
replies(5): >>42285466 #>>42285537 #>>42289441 #>>42293791 #>>42298514 #
3. arrdalan ◴[01 Dec 24 01:35 UTC] No.42285442[source]▶
Glad to hear it. And thanks for the pointer on OpenMiko. It would indeed be nice to port Privastead's camera hub to run directly in the camera firmware. This will make the setup a lot easier: no need for a machine to act as a hub.
4. arrdalan ◴[01 Dec 24 01:41 UTC] No.42285466[source]▶
I completely agree that security cameras can be a disaster for one's privacy. That's why I decided to build Privastead for my own use in the first place. It's fully open source, so we know what we're getting and what we're trusting. It also uses strong end-to-end encryption provided by Messaging Layer Security (MLS): https://datatracker.ietf.org/doc/rfc9420/
replies(1): >>42289184 #
5. LoganDark ◴[01 Dec 24 01:57 UTC] No.42285537[source]▶
I got hit by a truck a few months ago and a dash cam (well, really, scooter cam) could have shown beyond a doubt whose fault it was. I wish I didn't have to be hit by a truck in order to realize this. If something ever happens you're going to want to have had a recording of it.
replies(1): >>42290538 #
6. chgs ◴[01 Dec 24 16:32 UTC] No.42289184{3}[source]▶
You should do a ShowHN on it!
7. ndsipa_pomu ◴[01 Dec 24 17:19 UTC] No.42289441[source]▶
Dashcams (including bikecams and helmetcams) are a great idea and AFAIK there's not much of a privacy concern with them as they record to local storage and usually in a common video standard (e.g. mp4).

Hopefully as more people use them, there should be more chance of video footage being available from other vehicles if you're involved in a RTC and don't have one yourself. There's also the protective effect of people uploading bad driving to the police where the police are interested in road crime - hopefully providing the police with a very cheap way of having visibility in lots of places.

replies(1): >>42291515 #
8. yieldcrv ◴[01 Dec 24 20:30 UTC] No.42290538{3}[source]▶
Instead of video, what if our bodies and property emitted points clouds all the time

where visual representation can be recreated, similar to how LiDar does it

I’m not sure if thats more or less data to store, but it can show the depth and direction of intrusions into your space

replies(2): >>42290721 #>>42292018 #
9. krisoft ◴[01 Dec 24 21:05 UTC] No.42290721{4}[source]▶
> Instead of video, what if our bodies and property emitted points clouds all the time

If instead of practical and widely available technologies we are discussing scifi concepts which have no realistic prospect of materialising then why not wish for a force field impervious to trucks? Or even better, lets skip the whole middleman and wish for point to point teleportation for all cargo eliminating all dangers and externalities of trucks.

replies(1): >>42291042 #
10. yieldcrv ◴[01 Dec 24 21:59 UTC] No.42291042{5}[source]▶
because I believe there is a realistic prospect of materializing and it would increase accountability for many actions where its currently impossible even with the burgeoning ubiquity of video
replies(1): >>42297003 #
11. Klonoar ◴[01 Dec 24 23:21 UTC] No.42291515{3}[source]▶
A number of dash cams now use cloud storage. If anything, when I last purchased I had to go out of my way to find one with decent enough video that also stays local.
replies(1): >>42294265 #
12. LoganDark ◴[02 Dec 24 00:52 UTC] No.42292018{4}[source]▶
Don't you just love the idea of giving Big Tech and law enforcement literal x-ray vision. That'll go down very well...
13. nothrabannosir ◴[02 Dec 24 06:59 UTC] No.42293791[source]▶
Against what does a security camera protect you? I understand for a business that can afford a human being monitoring the feed, it offers protection by reducing response time to potential threats. But for individuals? I thought it was about justice, not protection.

Or did you mean as a deterrent? Which is fair enough (although a fake camera would achieve the same)

replies(1): >>42293831 #
14. ranger_danger ◴[02 Dec 24 07:07 UTC] No.42293831{3}[source]▶
It can be all of that and more. And in my case, if someone breaks into your house and steals your stuff, the police will not care because you don't have any evidence. And then your insurance doesn't believe you either and threatens to drop you.

And if someone is trespassing and about to commit a crime, you can be notified (yes even as an individual, with your own private self-hosted solutions even) immediately so that you can call police or deal with it however you want, especially if you're not home.

15. ndsipa_pomu ◴[02 Dec 24 08:31 UTC] No.42294265{4}[source]▶
That's surprising - I would guess that cloud storage would add to the price of them as they'd need a mobile data connection and presumably monthly costs. They must be designed for fleet management where you don't necessarily trust the driver to not delete footage.
replies(1): >>42324912 #
16. krisoft ◴[02 Dec 24 15:17 UTC] No.42297003{6}[source]▶
Please tell us more. How do you imagine what do you say being possible?
17. e40 ◴[02 Dec 24 17:50 UTC] No.42298514[source]▶
Any dashcam recommendations? Last time I looked (last year) there were issues with all the top models I saw recommendations for.
18. paledot ◴[05 Dec 24 04:16 UTC] No.42324912{5}[source]▶
Your personal information is valuable. See also why smart TVs are/were cheaper than "dumb" TVs when the latter was even still an option.