Private security footage is nothing new to criminal investigations, but two factors are rapidly changing the landscape: huge growth in the number of devices with cameras, and the fact that footage usually lands in a cloud server, rather than on a tape.
When a third party maintains the footage on the cloud, it gives police the ability to seek the images directly from the storage company, rather than from the resident or business owner who controls the recording device. In 2022, the Ring security company, owned by Amazon, admitted that it had provided audio and video from customer doorbells to police without user consent at least 11 times. The company cited “exigent circumstances.”
One way to get access, rather than a cloud solution, is to use a mesh network solution like WireGuard/Tailscale (and I’m gonna mention Hamachi on Windows, because I’ve used it since about 2005).
These solutions create an encrypted virtual network between devices that runs on top of whatever network you’re currently on.
In this way you’re never exposing internal resources, in any way, to the internet*. Only to other devices that are running the client app, using your encryption keys.
I’m currently running Tailscale on a desktop at home, all our mobile devices, and a Raspberry pi. I can connect to SMB shares on my home desktop from my phone, wherever I am (I mention SMB only because it’s not routable, and insecure. Any network protocol can run over a mesh network. I also run FTP, SFTP. Html, etc).
I’ve kept my laptop in sync with my desktop at home this way (using Hamachi) since ~2005.
This approach means you’re always using LAN connection methods, rather than relying on a cloud you don’t control.
*With Wireguard/Tailscale you can expose specific resources to the wider world, but you have to specifically configure it.
Ah, yes. Tailscale. That’s a pretty obvious solution that I hadn’t considered… Thanks for the recommendation.
I’m just glad to have it. I used Hamachi for years and have been looking for a mobile client since 2010.
Glad Wireguard/Tailscale stepped up and are developing more.