At its annual Google I/O developer conference today, Google announced a new set of privacy commitments for its in-home Nest security cameras, which include disabling the feature that lets users turn recording indicator lights on and off. The change will affect cameras like the Nest Cam IQ, and the newly announced Nest Hub Max, a larger, Nest-branded version of the Google Home Hub smart display.
Previously, Nest cameras had an option for users to turn off the light that indicates the camera is recording. Disabling that feature seems like a no-brainer now, but it was available for various situations, such as for parents who wanted security cameras in their children’s rooms to keep an eye on nannies and babysitters. “It’s not just our commitment to the owner that we’re making,” Rishi Chandra, VP of product at Nest told The Verge. “We’re making commitment to anyone who walks in the house.”
Nest is striving to be more mindful of its customers’ privacy and security — it recently sent out emails reminding owners to enable two-factor authentication for their passwords and to protect their home networks. The company is also thinking about where its data is going, working to keep features like its Face Match facial recognition tech restricted to the device, rather than sending that information to the cloud.