A lotta vapes are reportedly chock full of lead, so kids probably shouldn’t be puffing clouds in the bathroom stall, but was there any reason to design the most exploitable version of a product to alert school administrators about it?
The manufacturer was happy to expand to Section 8 (USA, subsidized) housing in spite of script kiddies, rogue employees, or legit employees working under new guidelines being able to root into the Motorola Halo 3C and use its fully-functioning microphones to invade privacy.
The frog is boiling slowly: pay more for your car insurance when your insurer buys your driving data today; risk your home insurance when you don’t install this “fire prevention” spyware tomorrow.

DEF CON 33 - Unmasking the Snitch Puck: IoT surveillance tech in the school bathroom - Reynaldo, nyx: YouTube
83,126 views, Oct 10, 2025

  • smh@slrpnk.net
    4·
    23 hours ago

    Students smoking where they shouldn’t is a PITA to me, a librarian, because it can set off some fire alarms.

    I do not appreciate needing to help a less mobile coworker down the stairs to evacuate the building. I don’t like spending in the rain while we wait for the fire department to declare the “all clear”.

    We don’t use spy pucks to tattle on students, though: we know what alarm was triggered and we know who checked out that study room. Or we know who came out of the single seat bathroom.

    Edit: and generally students have been contrite when they return the study room key after the building was evacuated. Very “I didn’t do it but I’ll let my friends who were studying with me know…” and we’ve not had repeat offenders. Tbh, they’re [young] adults so as long as no one is hurt and I don’t hear about it I’m cool with it.