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| Leaked security cam footage? It’s an iPhone problem. | Leaked security cam footage? It’s an iPhone problem. |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| The widely seen security camera footage of R&B singer Solange attacking her brother-in-law Jay Z (while her sister Beyoncé stands by) in a hotel elevator has left everyone asking the same question: What, exactly, prompted that violent outburst? But it also raises another question: How did that footage get leaked, anyway? | |
| Welcome to the world of security cameras in the digital age, where it takes nothing more than an iPhone to cause an increase of private surveillance footage made public. | Welcome to the world of security cameras in the digital age, where it takes nothing more than an iPhone to cause an increase of private surveillance footage made public. |
| The prevalence of smartphones and the ease with which people can surreptitiously hold up their own mobile devices and record security videos has led to this boom. In the Jay Z clip, check out the shaky camera work and those green dividing lines that reveal other shots from different security cams; the leaked clip of Rep. Vance McAllister (R-La.) kissing a district office staffer had a similar look, making it clear that what we saw was a video of a video. | The prevalence of smartphones and the ease with which people can surreptitiously hold up their own mobile devices and record security videos has led to this boom. In the Jay Z clip, check out the shaky camera work and those green dividing lines that reveal other shots from different security cams; the leaked clip of Rep. Vance McAllister (R-La.) kissing a district office staffer had a similar look, making it clear that what we saw was a video of a video. |
| And that, experts say, is a new privacy breach that is nearly impossible to stop. It’s simply not an issue that a security system or individual company can predict — especially when someone spots a gold-mine moment on a surveillance camera and starts to see dollar signs. | And that, experts say, is a new privacy breach that is nearly impossible to stop. It’s simply not an issue that a security system or individual company can predict — especially when someone spots a gold-mine moment on a surveillance camera and starts to see dollar signs. |
| “It would be very, very difficult to prevent,” said Jeremy Warren, innovation vice president at the security company Vivint. “If you have human monitoring of video in a hotel or office building, preventing someone who’s able to watch these videos and do something like record it on their phone? It’s not very easy to do.” | “It would be very, very difficult to prevent,” said Jeremy Warren, innovation vice president at the security company Vivint. “If you have human monitoring of video in a hotel or office building, preventing someone who’s able to watch these videos and do something like record it on their phone? It’s not very easy to do.” |
| What is incredibly easy, however, is for the person who taped the footage to ship it over to TMZ. (The gossip site was the first to show the Solange-Jay Z video.) It’s becoming very common for people to want a quick payday, or the kind of online micro-stardom that comes with uploading a really popular video, be it a celebrity tantrum or an everyday woman texting while walking and falling into a fountain at a mall. There’s an ingrained temptation to share and try to profit that’s hard to resist. | |
| By name alone, security footage is supposed to be, well, secure. Most of the time, it is. But security experts agree that there are many challenges that have led to a much higher risk of videos getting out to the public. | By name alone, security footage is supposed to be, well, secure. Most of the time, it is. But security experts agree that there are many challenges that have led to a much higher risk of videos getting out to the public. |
| However, security experts have a few ideas on how to curb the leaks. | However, security experts have a few ideas on how to curb the leaks. |
| First and foremost, don’t put cameras in a semi-public security guard station where anyone can walk by, said Luis Orbegoso, president of small business at the security company ADT. Plus, limit the number of people who can watch the cameras, whether it’s in-house security or an outside contractor. | First and foremost, don’t put cameras in a semi-public security guard station where anyone can walk by, said Luis Orbegoso, president of small business at the security company ADT. Plus, limit the number of people who can watch the cameras, whether it’s in-house security or an outside contractor. |
| Certain businesses have especially strict policies in place, such as banning personal cellphones from rooms with cameras, according to Fredrik Nilsson, general manager of the video surveillance provider Axis Communications. He said that’s common in high-security areas of government buildings | Certain businesses have especially strict policies in place, such as banning personal cellphones from rooms with cameras, according to Fredrik Nilsson, general manager of the video surveillance provider Axis Communications. He said that’s common in high-security areas of government buildings |
| Companies also can limit how many people have access to security cameras, or even password-protect the ability to review footage. (The drawback to this is that it would take longer to track something in real time during an emergency.) Some places get really meta and install security cameras to watch security cameras. Background checks can be required on anyone who has access to surveillance, and they can be warned that they can be punished if privacy is violated. | Companies also can limit how many people have access to security cameras, or even password-protect the ability to review footage. (The drawback to this is that it would take longer to track something in real time during an emergency.) Some places get really meta and install security cameras to watch security cameras. Background checks can be required on anyone who has access to surveillance, and they can be warned that they can be punished if privacy is violated. |
| Those steps can go only so far, as the Standard Hotel in New York discovered this week when Solange and Jay Z were captured in their elevator scuffle. “We are shocked and disappointed that there was a clear breach of our security system and the confidentiality that we count on providing our guests,” a hotel spokesperson said in a statement, which promised a full investigation and prosecution of the person responsible. | |
| Besides the risk of cellphones capturing footage, it’s also pretty simple for someone manning a security camera to upload video themselves — especially now that surveillance can be accessed via WiFi and remotely through a personal laptop, or even a phone or iPad. You would think that would inspire companies to get serious about Internet security. But according to several experts, some businesses don’t even put passwords on their WiFi accounts, leaving them extremely vulnerable to hackers. | Besides the risk of cellphones capturing footage, it’s also pretty simple for someone manning a security camera to upload video themselves — especially now that surveillance can be accessed via WiFi and remotely through a personal laptop, or even a phone or iPad. You would think that would inspire companies to get serious about Internet security. But according to several experts, some businesses don’t even put passwords on their WiFi accounts, leaving them extremely vulnerable to hackers. |
| But elaborate schemes perpetrated by outsiders are rarely to blame; most leaked footage comes from the people sitting right there in front of the source material. | But elaborate schemes perpetrated by outsiders are rarely to blame; most leaked footage comes from the people sitting right there in front of the source material. |
| Culprits do get caught — the mall security guard who uploaded the falling-into-the-fountain-while-texting footage to YouTube was fired. And some companies have records of who is stationed in security camera rooms at all times, so they can look back at time stamps for clues about who could have distributed a video. | |
| But despite the risks of getting caught, sometimes temptation is too great when people can pull out their phone and be one “record” button away from money or YouTube stardom. | But despite the risks of getting caught, sometimes temptation is too great when people can pull out their phone and be one “record” button away from money or YouTube stardom. |
| Matthew DiMicco, owner of New York-based Total Security, said “without a doubt” there has been a spike in these leaks in recent years — and while companies take many precautions, it could continue. | |
| “The more and more people who have cameras,” he said, “the more and more video can be leaked out.” | “The more and more people who have cameras,” he said, “the more and more video can be leaked out.” |