Recent reporting by Business Insider, CNN Business and many other publications have highlighted the undisclosed, on-board microphone discovered in Google’s Nest Guard Security Device — raising serious privacy concerns among consumers. The Monitoring Association (TMA) and the Electronic Security Association (ESA), trade associations representing professionals who install and monitor security and life safety technologies in homes and businesses, call into question the validity of Google’s published statements concerning the use of microphones in security devices. According to TMA and ESA, statements such as, “security systems often include microphones to provide features that rely on sound sensing,” misrepresent the vast majority of today’s residential security systems installed throughout the country.
Since audio recording includes privacy and legal complexities, it’s not extremely common in residential installations, according to the associations. Security professionals and integrators consult with customers and ensure all federal and state laws are abided by.