Doorbells: Ringing a new kind of alarm

With the miraculous advent of the door came an obvious problem: How to signal to someone on one side that you were on the other? There was knocking, of course, followed by knockers. Then doorbells arrived. At first they were analog, activated by pulling a cord attached to a bell. The early 1900s brought modern electric versions into homes, and with them, modern problems. “How often has the peace and quiet of your home been disturbed by shrill, nerve-racking ringing of a door bell?” read the 1930s marketing copy of the[Mell-O-Tone door chime company](. Today, their digital iterations have just amplified doorbell-induced anxiety. Thanks to a new breed of hyperconnected doorbells, you can see who’s at your door with a glance at your smartphone, even when you’re not at home. But convenience comes with complicated questions—about data security, community dynamics, and surveillance generally. Is a digital doorbell a security asset—or risk? 🐦 [Tweet this!]( 🌐 [View this email on the web]( Sponsored by [Quartz Obsession] Doorbells May 14, 2019 Warning bells --------------------------------------------------------------- With the miraculous advent of the door came an obvious problem: How to signal to someone on one side that you were on the other? There was knocking, of course, followed by knockers. Then doorbells arrived. At first they were analog, activated by pulling a cord attached to a bell. The early 1900s brought modern electric versions into homes, and with them, modern problems. “How often has the peace and quiet of your home been disturbed by shrill, nerve-racking ringing of a door bell?” read the 1930s marketing copy of the[Mell-O-Tone door chime company](. Today, their digital iterations have just amplified doorbell-induced anxiety. Thanks to a new breed of hyperconnected doorbells, you can see who’s at your door with a glance at your smartphone, even when you’re not at home. But convenience comes with complicated questions—about data security, community dynamics, and surveillance generally. Is a digital doorbell a security asset—or risk? 🐦 [Tweet this!]( 🌐 [View this email on the web]( A new place to talk about the news --------------------------------------------------------------- We’re tired of all the shouting matches and echo chambers on social media. On the new Quartz app, we’ve gathered a community of curious thinkers and doers to have high-quality discussions about the most important stories each day. It’s like an ongoing conversation with CEOs like Richard Branson, Punit Renjen, Arianna Huffington, and many more. [Try the Quartz app]( By the digits [3.4 million:]( Video doorbells sold in 2018, according to Strategy Analytics [26 million:]( Americans who have had a package stolen from their porch or doorstep, according to [a 2017 study]( [50%:]( Reduction in burglaries in one neighborhood thanks to video doorbells, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. An MIT Technology Review analysis [casts serious doubts on the claim](. [$1.4 billion:]( Predicted size of the global market for video doorbells by 2023 [$100,000:]( Amount a sapphire-and-diamond-encrusted Ring video doorbell retailed for in 2017 [3:]( a man in California licked a doorbell, as caught on camera Sponsored by World Wildlife Fund The problem with plastic --------------------------------------------------------------- 100 companies have the power to prevent 10 million metric tons of plastic waste. Some have already committed to change, but turning aspirations into actions isn’t easy. ReSource: Plastic is an activation hub from World Wildlife Fund that can help your company reach its sustainability goals.[Change can't wait]( Quotable “When the doorbell rings at three in the morning, it’s never good news.” —[Anthony Horowitz, Stormbreaker]( Reuters/Steve Marcus How smart doorbells are putting neighborhoods on alert --------------------------------------------------------------- There are [numerous apps]( that aim to serve as digital neighborhood watches, like the community social network Nextdoor, and Citizen, which alerts users to local crimes. Amazon has thrown video doorbells into the mix with Neighbors, which allows people with Ring video doorbells to upload doorbell footage to share with their community, with the idea that such security footage can keep neighbors alert and [help authorities]( solve and prevent crime. But some say that networks like this are negatively affecting our sense of safety. Crime rates [have fallen]( in recent years, [but the majority of Americans believe]( crime is on the rise. That seems like the ideal sales environment for companies like Ring and its competitor Nest to [capitalize on]( more fear there is that neighborhoods are unsafe, the more demand there is for surveillance doorbells. Another troubling issue is that on these types of forums, people of color are disproportionately being labeled as suspicious or criminal. Nextdoor [has seen numerous posts]( harnessing racial stereotypes and users [speculate about race]( on Citizen. The same issues are prevalent on Neighbors. The recent report that Amazon applied for a patent that would fuse its [video doorbells with Rekognition]( a facial recognition tool it has pitched to law enforcement agencies, raised further concerns about the inherent racial biases in facial ID technology. Some critics worry that such apps and technologies set dangerous new precedents. “Amazon and Ring are normalizing the use of video surveillance and pitting neighbors against each other,” [Caroline Haskins wrote at Vice](. These tech inventions blur “the distinction between private-sector surveillance services and the government’s role as enforcer of the law,” ACLU attorney Matt Cagle [told The Intercept]( “With regards to the latter, we have powerful constitutional safeguards, while with the former we have only terms of service and privacy policy agreements that no one reads.” Giphy Brief history [100 AD:]( in Alexandria, Greece have hydraulic doorbells—when someone opens the door, pulleys cause water to flow into a vessel, which in turn [forces air through a trumpet]( to create a loud noise. [1800s:]( Up until the early Victorian Era doorbells work one of two ways: Twist doorbells use a key-like mechanism that could be twisted to strike a bell, and pull doorbells ring a bell inside the house when a rope is pulled. [1817:]( Scottish engineer William Murdoch installs the first mechanized doorbell in his home, which uses a system of pipes and compressed air. [1831:]( Joseph Henry, a renowned American scientist, inventor, and first secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, creates a doorbell that could be rung from a distance via an electric wire. [1930s:]( Musical chime doorbells, which use electromagnets hitting tone bars to play a tune, enter the scene as an alternative to harsh buzzers or bells. Owning this kind of doorbell is seen as tasteful (not to mention [stress-reducing]( and [indicative of class](. [1954:]( The recently patented “Animal Alarm Scratching Device” marketed by a Tennessee manufacturer as a “Doggy Doorbell” goes on sale. [2012:]( Jamie Siminoff, CEO and founder of Ring, invents one of the world’s first smart doorbells—internet-connected, accessible from smartphone apps, with video recording capabilities. His pitch is rejected on the reality show Shark Tank the following year but Ring doorbells adorn an estimated 1 million doors five years later. [2018:]( Amazon buys Ring for $1 billion. Have a friend who would enjoy our Obsession with Doorbells? [ [Forward link to a friend](mailto:?subject=Thought you'd enjoy.&body=Read this Quartz Obsession email – to the email – Reuters/Nic Fulton Pop quiz What does the scientific unit “Henry (H),” named after electric doorbell inventor Joseph Henry, measure? InductanceSound wave momentum Electric currentLuminous intensity Correct. This refers to the ability of a conductor, like a wire coil, to oppose an electrical current flowing through it. Incorrect. If your inbox doesn’t support this quiz, find the solution at bottom of email. the way we 🔔now The last days of ding dong ditch? --------------------------------------------------------------- Also known as the “knock and run,” or “knock knock ginger” in the UK, the ding dong ditch involves ringing someone’s doorbell—or knocking on their door—and then running. It’s a classic prank that’s still going strong. Just this month, six boys caused such a stir playing ding dong ditch in Green Bay, Wisconsin that police first thought there might be [serious criminal activity involving human trafficking](. The popular video game Fortnite paid homage to the prank [with a challenge]( that required players to ding dong ditch two different locations in the game. But it’s only fun until somebody gets hurt, and more [than]( [once]( an American homeowner has shot and injured young ding-dong-ditchers. Will smart video-recording doorbells make the age-old pastime a thing of the past? Watch this! Doorbell cameras can capture all sorts of wild behavior, including bears breaking into cars, enthusiastic goats, and roaming alligators. Million-dollar question How safe is doorbell data? --------------------------------------------------------------- If you don’t have a smart doorbell or the old fashioned hard-wired kind, there’s a good chance you rely on a wireless one, which isn’t immune to security concerns. At Tedium, [Ernie Smith chronicles]( the radio technology that powers these (similar to walkie-talkies and baby monitors) can also be prone to accidental (or intentional) interference. But smart doorbells, among other Internet of Things things, have found themselves in a larger conversation about data privacy. In 2018, Ring came under fire when The Information reported that the company’s Ukraine employees had [easy access to customer’s video history]( and sensitive personal information. [The Intercept reported]( that Ring’s algorithms were also too inadequate to distinguish even a person from a dog, so Ukrainian employees had to manually identify people in videos. A February report detailed how hackers could spy on Ring doorbell’s live feed, or [even maliciously “inject” false images]( to trick someone into opening a door. Poll Are doorbells an existential threat to society? [Click here to vote]( No, we have bigger existential fish to fryKinda?Yes, crossing fingers for a knocking renaissance 💬LET'S TALK! 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