Buyer’s Guide · Privacy & SecurityIs Eufy Safe? The Privacy History, Honestly Explained

What happened, what was fixed, and what to weigh up before buying — with every claim sourced.

The short answer: Eufy had a genuine and well-documented security problem in 2022–2023, which led to a $450,000 settlement with the New York Attorney General in January 2025. Eufy has since made real changes to how its cameras encrypt and handle video. The brand is a reasonable choice today, but it’s worth understanding the history and keeping a few settings in mind. Here is the full picture so you can decide for yourself.

Why people ask whether Eufy is safe

Eufy, which is owned by the Chinese electronics company Anker, built its reputation on a simple promise: your footage is stored locally, with no monthly subscription, and kept private. For most buyers that local-storage approach is the main reason to choose Eufy over rivals like Ring or Nest. So when researchers found that the privacy promise didn’t fully match reality, it became a significant story — and it’s why “is Eufy safe?” is still one of the most searched questions about the brand.

What actually happened: a timeline

November 2022 — the disclosure

A security researcher publicly demonstrated that some Eufy cameras uploaded thumbnail images (including images of faces) to the cloud even when cloud features were switched off, and that camera streams could in some cases be viewed in a standard media player using the right web address — contradicting Eufy’s marketing claims about local-only storage and end-to-end encryption.

January 2023 — Anker’s acknowledgement

After initially downplaying the findings, Anker acknowledged to the technology publication The Verge that its cameras were not natively end-to-end encrypted at that time, and pledged to make changes. Much of the criticism centred not just on the flaw itself but on how the company initially handled it.

28 January 2025 — the $450,000 settlement

The New York Attorney General, Letitia James, secured $450,000 in penalties and costs from three companies that distribute Eufy products (Fantasia Trading LLC, Power Mobile Life LLC and Smart Innovation LLC). The investigation found that video sent over the internet from Eufy products was, in certain situations, not protected by end-to-end encryption — and that at least part of the connection used no encryption at all. It also found that an active video stream could be accessed by anyone with the relevant URL, without authentication, and that the URL might even have been possible to deduce.

According to the filing, more than 100,000 Eufy-branded cameras, doorbells and smart locks were sold between January 2018 and January 2023.

What Eufy was required to do — and has done

As part of the settlement, the companies must maintain a comprehensive information security programme, use secure software development with third-party security testing, run regular penetration and vulnerability testing, and encrypt video in storage and in transit. Alongside this, Eufy moved its cameras to encrypted-by-default streaming (WebRTC), applied AES-128 and RSA-1024 encryption on the HomeBase 3, brought in third-party audits, and launched a bug-bounty programme that pays researchers to report flaws.

March 2026 — still a live topic

The issue hasn’t entirely faded. In March 2026, two US lawmakers cited the 2025 settlement when asking federal agencies to examine Anker, raising broader questions about the company’s Chinese ownership and how user data is handled. This is a political and national-security line of questioning rather than a new technical flaw, but it’s part of the current picture and worth knowing.

So — is Eufy safe to buy now?

On the technical side, the specific problems identified in 2022–2023 have been addressed, and the settlement now legally obliges the distributors to keep testing and encrypting. The newer products — the HomeBase 3 line in particular — were built with stronger encryption from the start. For most people, a current Eufy camera is a reasonable, privacy-respecting choice, and the local, subscription-free storage remains a real advantage over rivals that lock features behind a monthly fee.

The honest caveats: Eufy lost a measure of trust through how it first responded, and the broader questions about Anker’s ownership are unresolved. If you are in a role or household where data residency is a particular concern, that’s a factor only you can weigh.

Sensible steps for any Eufy owner

✓Keep your camera and HomeBase firmware up to date — several fixes shipped through firmware updates.
✓Use a strong, unique password for your Eufy account and turn on two-factor authentication.
✓Review which cloud and notification features are on, and switch off any you don’t use.
✓If privacy is your priority, favour the local-storage setup (HomeBase or microSD) over cloud features.

Our verified Eufy reviews

Every one of our Eufy reviews includes this privacy context, with specifications checked against Eufy’s official UK product pages. Browse them to find the right model:

Sources: Office of the New York State Attorney General press release (28 January 2025); reporting by The Verge (2023). Figures and findings quoted are drawn from the Attorney General’s published statement. This article is general information, not legal or security advice.