The Surveillance State of Real Estate

Following the typical Moore’s Law trajectory, smart home devices are becoming easier to use and more affordable. The cost efficiencies offered by smart thermostats, smart water heaters, and IoT light switches and electrical outlets, present attractive opportunities for homeowners and landlords. Smart meters support optimization of the electrical grid for large communities. IoT devices such as the Amazon Ring doorbell offer enhanced security. But these devices also collect lots and lots of personal data. As a homeowner, these tradeoffs between privacy and efficiency or security are a choice. But what happens when the landlord chooses to implement IoT devices? How does the implementation of these devices affect tenant privacy rights? How does it benefit tenants and landlords? On this episode of WMD, Dr. Tamara Schwartz talks with York College cybersecurity management student George Papageorgiou to explore the implementation of smart home devices in real estate investment properties.