Consumer Reports: “Millions of video doorbells have been installed in U.S. homes, letting people chat with visitors without going to the door, and keep an eye on package deliveries—along with random wildlife and their own neighbors passing by. Ring doorbells and similar devices are so ubiquitous that you might expect to be recorded on other people’s video feeds every time you walk or drive down the street. What you might not be aware of is that video doorbells can record audio, too. Whether you’re standing on your stoop and arguing with your housemate about whose turn it is to take out the trash or passing by a neighbor’s house discussing your personal life, your conversation may get picked up by either your own doorbell or someone else’s. And if you do own a video doorbell, you may be inadvertently recording audio from unsuspecting neighbors as well. Some of these recordings can be useful. For example, they allow friends and neighbors to leave messages—on purpose—when the video doorbell owner isn’t home. But critics warn that these doorbells erode our privacy, too. And, once you’re aware that you’re being recorded, they can chip away at the expectation that we can go out into our neighborhoods and speak freely. But how likely are you to really be recorded on these devices? To find out, we measured just how close you need to be to a video doorbell for it to capture your conversations…”