GoKawiil
Tech News
Apple's Home app now offers AI-generated descriptive summaries and natural language search for security camera footage. These features require a paid HomeKit Secure Video subscription, with top-tier plans reaching up to $60 per month.
A veteran smart-home tester outlines ten practical adjustments homeowners can make to limit data collection from cameras, speakers and displays, including physically closing camera shutters and muting microphones when not in use. The piece also cites cybersecurity attorney Laurie Selkowitz, who warns that many users fail to disable opt-in data-sharing settings on devices like Ring cameras.
Anker's Eufy brand unveiled a lineup of new security devices at IFA 2026, including the multi-camera NVR Security System E50, the Video Doorbell S4, the Window Camera E10, and a radar-based Fall Detection Sensor. The E50 kits are already available in the US, Canada and Australia starting at $999, while the doorbell, window camera and fall sensor arrive later this year at prices ranging from $70 to $299.
At IFA, Anker introduced MindBase, a local smart-home hub that doubles as a network storage device with a 64GB SSD and two bays for 2.5- or 3.5-inch drives. Paired with Eufy cameras and sensors like the Video Doorbell S4 and Fall Detection Sensor, its onboard AI can analyze events in real time and respond to threats through lighting changes, verbal warnings, or vague 'active deterrence' measures. Anker has not disclosed pricing or a release date.
A DIY enthusiast connected three existing security camera microphones to BirdNet-Go, an open-source, locally-run AI tool, to automatically identify bird species by song in real time. The system also picks up bats and frogs, runs entirely on local hardware without cloud services, and can send custom alerts—such as via Discord—when specific species are detected.
Flock Safety, an Atlanta-based startup that sells AI-powered license-plate-reading cameras to police departments, cities, and businesses, has rapidly grown from a niche security vendor into a widely recognized name. That visibility has come largely through controversy, as the company's surveillance technology has drawn public scrutiny and criticism rather than praise.