Consumers around the world are installing “smart” home systems for the convenience and control it gives them, but many are unaware of who or what may actually be controlling these systems and for what purpose. Users of smart home technology are sometimes startled to find that someone else is operating their systems. In 2019, a…

A Maryland man was recently locked out of his Amazon smart home system after a delivery driver reported hearing a racial slur while dropping off a package. In a June 4 blog post on Medium, Brandon Jackson described his week-long ordeal of being locked out of the Amazon account he used to control many of…