Chapter 17 Quiz
Instructions: Select the best answer for multiple-choice questions. Answer short-answer questions in 2–4 sentences.
Multiple Choice
1. The "Radio Nurse" baby monitor, introduced in 1937, transmitted audio over:
a) A private encrypted channel b) An open radio frequency accessible to anyone with a compatible radio c) A landline telephone network d) A dedicated municipal broadcast network
Answer: b) An open radio frequency accessible to anyone with a compatible radio
2. Which of the following best describes why smart home device manufacturers often sell hardware at low margins?
a) They are legally required to do so under consumer protection law b) They compete with other manufacturers who offer similar products at low cost c) The commercial value lies in the behavioral data the device generates over its lifetime d) Manufacturing costs for smart home devices are inherently low
Answer: c) The commercial value lies in the behavioral data the device generates over its lifetime
3. In a "two-party consent" state, audio recording in a private home:
a) Is always legal if the recorder is the homeowner b) Requires the consent of all parties whose communications are recorded c) Requires only the consent of one party to the conversation d) Is governed exclusively by federal law, not state law
Answer: b) Requires the consent of all parties whose communications are recorded
4. The chapter states that hidden nanny cams with audio capability may be illegal in which category of U.S. states?
a) States without specific recording laws b) States where domestic workers have organized unions c) All-party (two-party) consent states d) States with comprehensive smart home regulations
Answer: c) All-party (two-party) consent states
5. According to the chapter, what is the primary reason baby monitors with known security vulnerabilities continue to be sold?
a) Consumers demand features that are incompatible with strong security b) Manufacturers make cost decisions that externalize security risk onto consumers c) Security standards for consumer electronics are impossible to establish d) Manufacturers are legally prohibited from disclosing security vulnerabilities
Answer: b) Manufacturers make cost decisions that externalize security risk onto consumers
6. The "Shodan" search engine is described in the chapter as:
a) Ring's law enforcement database portal b) A database of domestic workers' privacy rights by state c) A search tool that indexes internet-connected devices and their accessible data d) The European Union's privacy regulation compliance system
Answer: c) A search tool that indexes internet-connected devices and their accessible data
7. In what year did the Fair Labor Standards Act first establish federal minimum wage and overtime protections for domestic workers?
a) 1938 (the act explicitly excluded domestic workers until later amendments) b) 1965 c) 1972 d) 1993
Answer: a) 1938 — the FLSA was passed in 1938 and explicitly excluded domestic workers; protection came later through amendments and state legislation
8. Which of the following categories of smart home data was at issue in the 2017 Arkansas murder case involving Amazon?
a) Nest thermostat temperature logs b) Amazon Echo voice recording data c) Ring doorbell camera footage d) Smart lock access records
Answer: b) Amazon Echo voice recording data
9. The chapter argues that domestic worker surveillance reflects which of the following broader structural dynamics?
a) Domestic workers' unique willingness to accept surveillance in exchange for higher wages b) The historical legal exceptionalism of the household, which has exempted it from normal labor law c) The inherent difficulty of childcare, which requires video verification of quality d) Domestic workers' generally higher education levels, which make surveillance more effective
Answer: b) The historical legal exceptionalism of the household, which has exempted it from normal labor law
10. What distinguishes GDPR's approach to smart home device data from U.S. federal law?
a) GDPR prohibits smart home devices entirely; U.S. law permits them b) GDPR requires disclosure, meaningful consent, user data access rights, and breach notification; U.S. federal law lacks equivalent comprehensive requirements c) GDPR applies only to government surveillance; U.S. law covers private devices d) U.S. law provides stronger protections for children's data; GDPR focuses on adult data
Answer: b) GDPR requires disclosure, meaningful consent, user data access rights, and breach notification; U.S. federal law lacks equivalent comprehensive requirements
11. The chapter describes smart home devices being used in the context of intimate partner violence to do which of the following?
a) Only to document abuse for use in protective order proceedings b) To remotely control locks, thermostats, cameras, and speakers as tools of coercive control c) Exclusively to intercept communications, which is the form of IPV technology abuse d) Only in cases where the abusive partner is a software engineer with specialized skills
Answer: b) To remotely control locks, thermostats, cameras, and speakers as tools of coercive control
12. The Video Voyeurism Prevention Act of 2004 specifically prohibits:
a) All video recording in rental properties b) Capturing images of a person's private area without consent when the person has a reasonable expectation of privacy c) Security cameras in apartment building common areas d) Smart home device manufacturers from sharing video data with law enforcement
Answer: b) Capturing images of a person's private area without consent when the person has a reasonable expectation of privacy
13. "Surveillance creep" in the smart home context refers to:
a) The slow spread of smart home technology across income levels b) Hidden cameras that gradually move to cover more of a room c) The gradual expansion of surveillance from its initial stated purpose into additional monitoring functions d) The increasing technical sophistication of surveillance devices over time
Answer: c) The gradual expansion of surveillance from its initial stated purpose into additional monitoring functions
14. According to the 2021 survey data cited in the chapter, what proportion of large apartment buildings in major cities had camera systems in common areas?
a) A minority, as most landlords are concerned about tenant privacy b) The majority c) Approximately one-third d) Almost all, due to insurance requirements
Answer: b) The majority — the survey found the majority had camera systems, while fewer than one-third had disclosed these systems in lease documentation
True / False
15. In the United States, landlords are uniformly prohibited by federal law from installing cameras in rental unit common areas without tenant notification.
Answer: False. There is no federal law requiring notification for common area cameras; requirements vary by state and municipality. Many jurisdictions have no such requirement.
Short Answer
16. Explain the concept of "data sovereignty" and why it is relevant to smart home devices. What would meaningful data sovereignty look like for a household using multiple smart home products?
Model answer: Data sovereignty refers to the principle that individuals should have meaningful control over data generated about them — including the ability to know what data exists, who has access to it, request copies, and delete it. For smart home devices, data sovereignty is relevant because each connected device generates detailed behavioral data about a household that is typically uploaded to manufacturer cloud systems the user cannot fully audit or control. Meaningful data sovereignty would require manufacturers to provide: a comprehensive disclosure of what data is collected; accessible tools for users to download all their collected data; effective deletion mechanisms that fully erase data from cloud systems; and restrictions on how data can be shared with third parties, including law enforcement. Current U.S. law does not require all these elements; GDPR approaches them more closely.
17. The chapter describes the home's historical status as a "castle" — a space of presumptive privacy — and argues that smart home technology is eroding this status. Identify two specific technological developments from the chapter and explain how each specifically erodes domestic privacy expectations.
Model answer: Two examples: First, always-on smart speakers (like Amazon Echo) require constant audio monitoring to detect wake words, which means that a device in the home's interior — historically the most private domestic space — is perpetually listening. Unlike previous audio surveillance (wiretapping, bugs), this is a consumer device purchased voluntarily, normalizing continuous audio capture in private space. Second, landlord-controlled smart locks and thermostats give an absent property owner real-time information about when tenants are home, when they leave, and their behavioral patterns — surveillance traditionally reserved for a physical landlord with a key. These devices extend the landlord's visibility into daily domestic life in ways traditional property law did not contemplate and current tenant law does not adequately address.