eufy Security

Is eufy safe?

eufy is one of the better options if you want cameras that record at home without a monthly fee, but only if you switch on the protections it leaves off. Video is stored on the camera or a HomeBase hub by default, face recognition runs on the device, and an optional end-to-end encryptionEnd-to-end encryptionEncryption in which only the sender and the recipient can read a message. The company running the service cannot see its content.More in the glossary mode keeps footage readable only on your phones. The problem is trust. eufy sold its cameras as private and encrypted while, as a researcher showed in 2022, some live streams could be opened by anyone with the link. The companies behind it paid New York's attorney general $450,000 in 2025. We score eufy 60/100, ahead of Ring and TP-Link Tapo at 57.

What went wrong with eufy's encryption?

In November 2022 a security researcher, Paul Moore, published tests suggesting eufy's claims about local storage and end-to-end encryptionEnd-to-end encryptionEncryption in which only the sender and the recipient can read a message. The company running the service cannot see its content.More in the glossary were not accurate. Data that eufy described as stored locally was being uploaded to its cloud even with cloud storage turned off, and live streams could be played in an ordinary media player. In February 2023 Anker admitted to reporters that its cameras were "not natively end-to-end encrypted" and that streams sent to the eufy web portal were neither encrypted nor authenticated, so anyone with the link could watch. It promised to fix the web portal, bring in outside penetration testers and launch a bug bounty.

New York's attorney general opened an investigation after the 2022 reports. On 28 January 2025 her office announced a $450,000 settlement with Fantasia Trading, Power Mobile Life and Smart Innovation, the three companies that sell eufy products. The investigation found that video sent over the internet was not always end-to-end encrypted, that part of the connection used no encryption at all, and that an active stream could be opened by URL without a login, a URL that might have been guessed. The companies had no process in place to catch these gaps, the office said. They must now keep a security programme, use outside tools to test their software, run regular penetration tests and encrypt video in storage and in transit.

It was not the first lapse. In May 2021 a bug let some eufy users see live and recorded feeds from strangers' cameras; eufy said about 0.001% of users were affected.

The hub has had its own problems. The US National Vulnerability Database lists 11 flaws in the HomeBase 2 hub and one in an indoor camera published in 2021 and 2022, several rated critical, and two more hub flaws since. eufy now holds ISO 27001 and 27701 certificates and runs a public bug bounty on HackerOne that pays $100 to $8,000 depending on severity.

Where does eufy send your data?

Apple's label for the app is short: email and user ID linked to you, location, support messages and diagnostics not linked, and no tracking. The privacy policy, updated in January 2026, says more. eufy may share personal data with advertising networks for targeted ads on other sites and devices, and it transfers data within the Anker group, including to China. Its Korean section names Anker Innovations in Changsha as a recipient, with data stored on Amazon Web Services in Germany and the US.

Video stays local unless you pay for a cloud plan; App Store prices start at $3.99 for one camera. Push alerts are text-only by default, and alerts with thumbnail previews are an opt-in.

Does eufy use camera footage to train AI?

Yes, footage that users hand over. From December 2024 to February 2025 eufy paid $2 per video of package or car-door thefts, real or staged, aiming for 20,000 of each, TechCrunch reported. An in-app Video Donation Program still rewards people who share videos of humans, with badges, gift cards or cameras, and its leaderboard was topped by someone who had donated 201,531 videos. A support page also asks owners of eufy baby monitors to donate recordings. eufy says donated video is used only to train and improve its AI. None of this happens unless you opt in, but anyone filmed by your camera has no say.

How to use eufy cameras more safely

1. Turn on Advanced Encryption, eufy's end-to-end mode, and store its vault password in a password manager.
2. Turn on two-step verificationTwo-factor authenticationSigning in with a second proof of identity on top of your password, such as a code from an app, a security key or a passkey.More in the glossary and use a password you use nowhere else.
3. Keep recordings local and skip cloud plans unless you need off-site copies.
4. Leave alerts text-only, and stay out of the video donation programme, especially for baby monitors.
5. Update the HomeBase and camera firmware when the app offers it, and draw privacy zones over neighbours' windows and gardens.

How we scored it

Content risk (74) is eufy's strongest factor, since there is no public feed. Security (52) is its weakest: the encryption failures that New York confirmed, a 2021 bug that exposed other users' cameras, a run of critical hub flaws and protections that are off by default. Privacy (55) follows the policy's ad sharing and transfers to China rather than the short App Store label, and the regulatory record (70) reflects one small data-security penalty with security requirements attached.