Recently, as I was about to board a flight, the boarding agent came over the intercom and said that the airline would be trying out a new facial recognition technology. The airline advised that the new technology would expedite the boarding process. In a calm tone, she also quickly read a disclaimer that said that passengers could opt for a normal boarding process without relying on facial recognition if they chose. As I was waiting to board the plane, I began to think of the implications of new policies and procedures like these. Perhaps, the "benefit" of saving a few seconds during boarding didn't warrant the costs. The idea that a picture of my daughter, my wife, and I be uploaded into the cloud, where our faces and names could be hacked or sold to the highest bidder, was not, for us, a risk worth taking. As a result, we went to the end of the line and opted for a regular check-in. In doing so, we protected our privacy for the "cost" of having to wait a couple of extra minutes.

Over one-third of all households in the United States own a smart home device. Seventy percent of homeowners say they are considering purchasing another smart home device in the coming year. We often hear about how home automation can save us time and energy. However, privacy concerns are rarely part of the debate. In this short article, we look at some of the potentially invasive possibilities that come with home automation and offer a few suggestions for how homeowners can protect their privacy and confidentiality.