Forbes- Google Nest Labs' Acquisition Of Dropcam Scares The Heck O

[ross549]

http://www.forbes.co...heck-out-of-me/

 

Late last week, news broke that Google GOOGL +0.69% Inc.’s Nest Labs would be buying upstart Dropcam in a $555M cash deal. For those unfamiliar with the companies, Google purchased Nest Labs earlier this year for approximately $3.2B. Nest currently builds intelligent home thermostats and smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, but other home automation products are likely on the horizon.

 

But there’s a problem with all of this—at least in my opinion. Assuming the deal is approved and Google ultimately ends up owning Dropcam, Google will technically have access to a wealth of data about what goes on in our home. Think about this for a moment.

 

I’m fully aware of Google’s “do no evil” mantra, and could just be being paranoid about this whole situation, but something doesn’t sit right with me.

 

This opinion is similar to mine. It is very concerning that Nest (Google) buying Dropcam potentially gives Google potential access to more information about us in our own homes. The capability exists, but will Google exploit that capability? We just don't know.

 

This is why I am going to be selling my Dropcam and switching over to a Raspberry Pi and Pi camera for remote monitoring of my house.

 

Adam