Google Shuts Down Xiaomi's Nest Hub, Assistant Integration After Users Reports Seeing Strangers' Camera Feeds

A user reported seeing others' still images on his Google Nest Hub.

By Harpreet Singh | Updated: 3 January 2020 16:08 IST

Google Shuts Down Xiaomi's Nest Hub, Assistant Integration After Users Reports Seeing Strangers' Camera Feeds

Google is investigating why the user was able to view others' still images

Highlights

A user claims he saw others' still images on his Google Nest Hub
He was trying to stream video from his Xiaomi camera to the Nest Hub
Google has killed Xiaomi's access to Nest Hub, Integration temporarily

Smart security cameras of all sizes and shapes have cropped up everywhere in the last couple of years. While all of them promise to deliver security, not all of them are really smart enough. In an incident that sheds more light on how smart security cameras can actually pose serious issues, a Xiaomi Mijia camera user reported receiving still images from random security cameras when he tried to stream video from his own camera to a Google Nest Hub. Google has now shut down Xiaomi's Nest integration after the issue was reported to the company.

A Reddit user reported the issue that was then picked up by Android Police. The user claimed his Xiaomi Mijia 1080p Smart IP Security Camera was linked to his Google account to make it work with other Nest devices via the Mi Home app. He also claimed that both the Xiaomi camera and the Nest Hub was recently purchased.

When contacted, Google shut down Xiaomi devices' access to Nest Hub and Google Assistant. In a statement given to The Verge, a Google spokesperson said, "We're aware of the issue and are in contact with Xiaomi to work on a fix. In the meantime, we're disabling Xiaomi integrations on our devices."

The Reddit user posted videos, showing still from other security camera showing up on his Google Nest Hub. The user claims he saw images of someone sleeping in a chair and even a baby in a crib. Google is now in touch with the user but Xiaomi is yet to respond, notes The Verge.

Smart home security cameras haven't had a great track record, to begin with. Earlier in September last year, a hacker allegedly spoke to a couple via their home camera and even played vulgar music. The couple had installed a Google Nest system (camera, doorbell, and a thermostat) in their house in 2018.

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Further reading: Xiaomi, Google, Xiaomi Mijia, Google Nest Hub

Harpreet Singh

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Harpreet is the community manager at Gadgets 360. He loves all things tech, and can be found hunting for good deals when he is not shopping online. He has written about deals and e-commerce in India for many years, as well as covering social media and breaking technology news. More