Smart home cameras are one of the most popular consumer smart product categories. They’re used for many tasks, such as deterring intruders, monitoring kids and pets, and knowing when packages have arrived. But they also create serious privacy concerns and social tensions between the primary users who own them and a diverse category of people we refer to as adjacent users, like neighbors, tenants, domestic workers, and public bystanders.

We designed Arca to address the experiences of adjacent users who lack awareness, consent, control, and benefits. Each feature exemplifies design patterns and principles applicable to other contexts involving adjacent users, privacy, and smart products.