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551 points arrdalan | 6 comments | | HN request time: 1.086s | 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.

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KetoManx64 ◴[] 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 #
ranger_danger ◴[] 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 #
1. LoganDark ◴[] 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 #
2. yieldcrv ◴[] No.42290538[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 #
3. krisoft ◴[] No.42290721[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 #
4. yieldcrv ◴[] No.42291042{3}[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 #
5. LoganDark ◴[] No.42292018[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...
6. krisoft ◴[] No.42297003{4}[source]
Please tell us more. How do you imagine what do you say being possible?