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Google privacy scandal as bug allows second-hand Nest cameras to be viewed by previous owners

GOOGLE has come under fire after some users of its Nest Cam Indoor devices said they were still able to access the device once they'd sold it and look into the homes of the people that had bought it from them.

The tech giant has reportedly fixed the issue but has now sparked a wave of privacy concerns.

 Nest indoor cameras have been affected by a security breach
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Nest indoor cameras have been affected by a security breachCredit: Amazon

A report by found that old owners of the cameras could still use an app to view bits of footage from them even after a factory reset had occurred.

New owners of the Nest cameras had no idea that they were potentially being spied on.

The Wirecutter report said that only Nest Cam Indoor cameras that had been paired with syncing hardware called Wink hub were vulnerable to the privacy issue.

Apparently, old device owners were able to see "still images snapped every several seconds" via the Wink App that was still connected to their old camera.

 Google has now fixed the problem
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Google has now fixed the problemCredit: Alamy

We do not yet know how many people were affected by the security breach or how long the bug had been affecting the cameras for.

A Google spokesperson told us: “We were recently made aware of an issue affecting some Nest cameras connected to third-party partner services via Works with Nest.

"We’ve since rolled out a fix for this issue that will update automatically, so if you own a Nest camera, there’s no need to take any action.”

It is not clear whether any other Nest devices have been affected.

Last month, Google announced that it would be winding down the Works with Nest program as it wants to cut down on third parties accessing its users data.

In other news, renders of Google's upcoming smartphone have reportedly leaked online – and it looks suspiciously similar to the new iPhone.

Google Maps will now warn you when dodgy taxi drivers take you off-route.

And, the Google Play Store had to remove a number of popular apps because they contained advertising 'plugins', which broke phones.

What's your opinion on smart cameras in the home? Let us know in the comments...


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