916
Jason Bassler | @JasonBassler1
Big Brother just got an upgrade.
Starting December, Amazon’s Ring cameras will scan and recognize faces. Don’t want to be in their database? Too bad — walk past a Ring and your face can be stored, tagged, & analyzed without consent.
One step closer to total surveillance.
[Image: A Ring doorbell camera mounted on a brick wall. A digital overlay shows facial recognition scanning a person's face with grid lines. Text on the right reads "Amazon's Ring Adds Facial Recognition to Home Security" with additional text below.]
6:00 PM | Oct 4, 2025
Source: https://x.com/JasonBassler1/status/1974640686419857516
Maintenance in apartment complexes always have access to any apartment, in case of fire, overflowing bathtubs, inspections, deaths, smoke detector battery replacement, etc. They are supposed to give 24 hours notice, but the point is that a nefarious character could gain access to any apartment in the complex, if they don't keep their master keys secure.
We had a case recently of a murder in a gated complex. A maintenance guy got obsessed by the 19 year old daughter of a resident, and eventually kidnapped, raped, and murdered her. All because he had access to the master keys. They ended up passing some law under her name. I think they have to do a better job of clearing their criminal backgrounds, which would have caught this guy. It seems like keeping the master keys under better security should be a major thing, too.
That's nuts.
Like, the landlord/maintenance people here do have a master key, but it doesn't work unless the flat is locked from the outside and set in a particular position. If you lock it from the inside, or don't put it in the special position, they can't access the flat.
There are inside devices that could stop someone with a master key, like chain locks, but you have to be in the apartment. Once you leave, you obviously can't set the chain, and anyone with a master key, or is a good lock picker, can get in.
I've never heard of setting the bolt a certain way, except maybe in hotels. Even then, it only works if someone is physically in the room.
This is how my door works. You lift the handle to engage the bolts in the doorframe (otherwise the lock doesn't even turn), then you can turn it either a full rotation, and pull it out, or turn it a full rotation and then about 45 degrees further. If the slit points downwards only people with proper keys can access. If you turn it slightly more, so it's at an angle, then it's in "service mode" and people with service keys can also access it.
You can't put it in service mode from the inside.
If it's fully locked and you want access for some reason, you'll have to call for a locksmith. Alternatively remove the entire doorframe from the wall. It's reinforced though so that's going to be a hassle. The door itself is some kind of thick metal. Great soundproofing.