HYDERABAD: Creepy. Invasive. Spine-chilling. This is how www.insecam.com, a website which broadcasts live feeds of CCTV cameras obtained from private premises in Hyderabad can be simply described. These live feeds, in a major breach of privacy, can be accessed by anyone and from anywhere in the world.
The Russian website obtains CCTV cameras which are not password protected and broadcasts them onto their website for everyone to see. There are as of now eight live CCTV streams from the Hyderabad area that are being broadcasted on the website which show private spaces including, an indoor working space, parking area and terrace, among others.
Along with the footage details such as latitude, longitude and zip code, the name of the manufacturer of the particular surveillance camera is also provided. Insecam in their website has clarified that these cameras are not hacked, and if one wished to remove their feed from the website, they should contact the website developers. “The only solution to make your camera private is to set up a password,” the website says. Questions to the developers of Insecam remained unanswered as of late on Sunday.
When contacted about this, the City Police Commissioner Anjani Kumar said, “All our police cameras that have been installed are 100 per cent safe. They are not connected to any network domain and are completely secure. We are responsible for these.”
Kumar further added, “These cameras shown on the website, are all from private premises, and thus, unless and until there is some criminality involved, it is not advisable for us to intrude into the private premises of any person.”
Sai Krishna, chairman of the Global Cyber Security Forum pointed out that this usually happens because people opt for cheaper services. “What is happening is that, somebody buys a camera, installs it and connects it using public internet. There is no security.”
He also said the CCTV sellers often offer free software with which the owner can view the feed directly. “They are getting it for free, most do not have any security features, and it becomes vulnerable to websites such as insecam,” Krishna added. He further urged the Central government to block such websites.