Your smart thermostat is watching you — it knows your routine and when your house is empty



Thermostats have become so intelligent that they can build entire lifestyle portfolios on a homeowner simply by using the embedded technology that regulates and tracks heat and electricity.

Many smart thermostats are openly asking users for this information. But studies have also revealed that other knowledge, which no homeowner would want a stranger to know, can now easily be harvested and quantified.

A thermostat's built-in motion sensors determine if a homeowner is home or away.

For example, an Ecobee smart thermostat, available on Amazon for $140, has been used to monitor sleep patterns over the course of a year. A 2022 study used six Ecobee sensors to track sleep time, wake-up time, sleep duration, as well as time spent at home. It also determined how those behaviors were influenced by weekends and seasonal weather.

This all came from the thermostat's data, which can connect to Apple's Siri, Amazon's Alexa, and Google Assistant.

Google Nest thermostats can come equipped with a series of cameras, sensors, and more, as well as public-facing features like Home/Away Assist and Auto-Away. These features track whether the user is home or not and can do so in multiple ways.

The first option is to sync with the homeowner's phone location. It asks for user location and address, and it even helps pinpoint the home on a map.

Auto-Away does not even need add-on sensors throughout the house to tell if the user is home. According to How to Geek, it uses the thermostat's built-in motion sensors to make this determination.

The justification for the intimate invasion of privacy is to lower and limit heating or cooling usage when the user is not at home or to enable security features.

Ecobee also has passive motion sensors that can tell when a person is home or not.

RELATED: Creepy new laws will mean your car monitors you 24/7 — eyes, skin, even breath

Photo by Joan Cros/NurPhoto via Getty Images

Ecobee also utilizes a feature so it knows which rooms in a home are occupied. "Follow me" mode is an attempt to maximize energy efficiency by tracking the resident with sensors as he moves through rooms, and it adjusts the temperature accordingly.

At the same time, it tracks the amount of time spent in each room.

A 2018 study showed a 95% accuracy rating in terms of gauging home occupancy using a technology called WalkSense. The technology identified room occupancy, house vacancy, and even occupant activities.

The latter is helped by what is referred to as "load monitoring," which is a fancy term for tracking what type of appliances a person uses by how much electricity he uses, another feature of smart home devices.

RELATED: Storm season is here. Yes, you need a better weather app.

Load monitoring works by applying a "signature" to an appliance by extracting data from its power signal. The signature is applied to the typical amount of energy usage from the appliance, which henceforth identifies the amount of power used by a dishwasher, washing machine, etc.

A February 2021 study proposed such a system that identified appliances with 98% to 99% accuracy.

Another study from 2017 even showed it was using load monitoring through a smart meter called Rainforest at the time.

Load monitoring is typically used with energy meter trackers like Sense Energy — installed on the electrical panel — but can be paired with home monitoring systems like Google Nest or Alexa, which either pair with or operate the smart thermostat.

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Armed, masked crooks trying to steal car encounter gun-toting homeowner, cops say — and the homeowner isn't playing around



Police said a Pennsylvania homeowner shot at a pair of would-be car thieves early Tuesday morning, wounding one of them, WPVI-TV reported.

The incident in the 200 block of 2nd Street in Catasauqua took place at 1 a.m., the station said. Catasauqua is a borough in Lehigh County that's about 15 minutes north of Allentown and just under an hour and a half north of Philadelphia.

'Good old-fashioned FAFO.'

Investigators told WPVI the homeowner fired the shots at the two males as they were trying to steal a vehicle. The males reportedly were wearing black masks, the station said, adding that police said one suspect had a knife, and the other was carrying a bar.

Both suspects — including the wounded male — ran away, the station said.

Police are searching local hospitals for patients with gunshot wounds, WPVI said.

The homeowner was not injured, the station said.

No charges have been filed, WPVI reported, adding that the incident remains under investigation.

RELATED: Armed male allegedly breaks into home after midnight, but resident also has a gun — and a deadly shootout ensues

Commenters under WPVI's Facebook post about the incident gave shoutouts to the homeowner who pulled the trigger:

  • "Hey, maybe the thieves will change their minds before they attempt to steal again!??" one commenter observed. "Kudos to the homeowner!!"
  • "Good job homeowner, do not charge this man for protecting his property," another user insisted.
  • "I love a story with a happy ending," another commenter quipped.
  • "Good," another user wrote before adding "get a cap in both their asses."
  • "Not everyone is an easy target, are they[?]" another commenter stated. "Good old-fashioned FAFO."

Others encouraged the homeowner to get more time at the gun range:

  • "Learn from it and just go to the range a few times," one user suggested. "Practice, practice, practice."
  • "Sounds like the homeowner needs more target practice," another commenter wrote. "The perp won’t have a chance to repeat the stupidity."
  • "A shame he only wounded one," another user said. "A couple of head shots would [have] been better."
  • "Excellent!" another commenter exclaimed. "Now, get to the range to make sure next time it's not just a wound."

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Suspected package thief, homeowner engage in shootout — then suspect fires at officers, police say



Philadelphia police said a suspected package thief engaged in a shootout with a homeowner and then soon fired at officers Sunday, WPVI-TV reported.

Police heard gunshots coming from the 400 block of East Rockland Street in the city's Feltonville section around 5:30 p.m., the station said.

'So everyone missed. Someone needs more training.'

Police rushed to the scene and found a man firing a gun, WPVI said, adding that the man then fired toward officers.

A nearby homeowner told police he saw the suspect stealing packages and confronted the suspect, the station said.

With that, the pair engaged in a shootout, WPVI said. There was no indication who fired first.

RELATED: Atlanta police make arrest in connection with homeowner who cops say shot 2 teenage porch pirates

The suspect ran away, but police recovered a gun from the scene, the station said.

No injuries were reported, WPVI said, and no arrests were made.

The incident remains under investigation, the station said.

"They'll do anything but get a job," one commenter remarked.

Other observers were just as disgusted:

  • "So everyone missed. Someone needs more training," another commenter quipped.
  • "Thank God no one was hurt," another user said. "And hopefully the other person that was protecting the packages [won't] be charged."
  • "Damn, he lost the gun — probably worth more than the packages," another commenter added.
  • "But, but, but [Democrat Pennsylvania Gov.] Josh Shapiro said crime is down!!" another user observed.

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Knife-wielding person advances toward homeowner who complained about car vandalism, cops say. But homeowner is wielding gun.



Investigators in Arizona said a homeowner and his family member confronted an individual after 1 a.m. Friday after discovering knife damage on two of their vehicles, InMaricopa.com reported.

With that, the person reportedly advanced toward the homeowner while holding a knife, the outlet said.

'I love it! That’s justice!!! He definitely found out!'

Unfortunately for the person reportedly holding the knife, the homeowner was holding a gun — and used it.

When Maricopa Police officers arrived at the scene on West Thornberry Lane in Homestead, they found an individual shot in the leg, the outlet said.

That person was taken to a hospital and was awaiting surgery as of Friday morning, police told InMaricopa.com.

RELATED: Armed male allegedly stalking his ex forces entry into her Florida home. But victim's husband is there — and also has a gun.

Image source: Maricopa (Ariz.) Police

Turns out that officers later found other cars in the area with similar knife damage, police added to the outlet.

The homeowner who pulled trigger is not being charged with a crime, as it appears he was acting in self-defense, the outlet noted.

However, the wounded person is facing charges, InMaricopa.com said, adding that the investigation remains ongoing.

Commenters reacting to the outlet's story on Facebook appeared solidly behind the homeowner's actions.

  • "F'd around and found out," one commenter said.
  • "Lucky it was only his leg shot. Just saying. Good for the homeowner!" another user noted.
  • "I mean, torturing my horse would get death — so why wouldn't touching my vastly improved horse replacement that, at one time, took years of my life to pay for and develop into a usable vehicle?" another commenter quipped.
  • "I love it! That’s justice!!! He definitely found out!" another user declared.
  • "Sounds like the criminal deserved it — but will probably still sue homeowner for his injuries," another commenter predicted.

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Homeowner with 2 sleeping kids spots masked intruders walking up stairs. But they turn tail and run when he pulls gun.



A Los Angeles homeowner whose two young children were fast asleep one night last week found himself face-to-face with three masked males walking up his stairs, KNBC-TV reported.

Believe it or not, the intruders reportedly announced themselves as police officers amid the Studio City home invasion last Wednesday, the station said.

'I was kind of ready for any scenario.'

But the homeowner was wise to what was happening — and had a gun on him.

And wouldn't you know the intruders staring down that barrel suddenly realized that they had more pressing matters on their calendar? Yup, they took off running.

KNBC said the masked males were seen on security video recorded outside the home. The station said they tapped windows and the dog door to make sure all animals were inside.

“Three men covered basically head to toe. Windbreaker hoodies; only their eyes are visible,” the homeowner later explained to KNBC.

The intruders used a device to shatter a double-pane glass door, the station said, after which they walked into the house.

“They yelled ‘LAPD’ when they were in the house, impersonating the police," the homeowner also noted to KNBC. "I think that’s what kind of triggered my senses."

The homeowner — who didn't want the station to identify him — told KNBC he "peered down the stairs and saw two men coming up the stairs and just immediately charged after them ready to take them on. I was kind of ready for any scenario. I was kind of armed and ready to go, and, thankfully, they ran — because the last thing I wanted to do was start shooting people in my house.”

The homeowner added to the station that the would-be thieves got away before officers arrived. The homeowner also noted to KNBC he believes the crew may have been watching his house for several days.

“We were out of town for a few days, and the way they reacted they definitely thought the house was empty,” the homeowner added to the station. “I think they are just getting that brazen. You kind of have to be ready.”

You can view a video report here about the incident.

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Man calls 911 about masked crooks breaking into cars. But one of them goes after caller — a big mistake, since he has a gun.



A homeowner in Shreveport, Louisiana, was outside smoking a cigarette around 3:30 a.m. Saturday when he saw two masked individuals breaking into cars on the street, KSLA-TV reported.

The homeowner called 911 to report what he was observing in the 7600 block of University Drive, the station said.

Detectives believe Lewis and at least one other person are responsible for a series of crimes in the area, including at least five vehicle burglaries, a firearm theft, and a motor vehicle theft, the station said.

However, while the homeowner was on the 911 call, one of the alleged burglars began to approach him, KSLA said.

The homeowner told the alleged burglar to stop approaching him, the station said, but those instructions reportedly went unheeded.

“Fearing for his and his family’s safety, the caller discharged his firearm twice, striking 18-year-old Jamelvion Lewis,” police Cpl. Chris Bordelon told KSLA.

Lewis was shot in his lower abdomen and right arm, authorities noted to the station.

Officers rendered aid to Lewis, who then was taken to Ochsner LSU Health for treatment of life-threatening injuries, KSLA said.

“His condition has since been upgraded to critical but stable, and doctors are hopeful he will make a full recovery,” Bordelon said of Lewis, according to the station.

The other burglary suspect escaped the scene in a stolen vehicle but abandoned it after traveling a short distance, KSLA reported, adding that the suspect ran off. Police are looking for him, the station added.

Lewis has been charged with one count of possession of a stolen firearm because officers discovered he had a gun later confirmed to have been reported stolen out of Bossier City, KSLA said, adding that additional charges are expected.

Detectives believe Lewis and at least one other person are responsible for a series of crimes in the area, including at least five vehicle burglaries, a firearm theft, and a motor vehicle theft, the station said.

Police said witnesses at the scene were taken to the Violent Crimes Unit for recorded interviews, KSLA added.

The homeowner surrendered his gun and fully cooperated with investigators, the station reported, adding that no charges are pending against him.

You can view a video report here about the incident.

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Trump’s team takes aim at Biden’s home price-hiking policies



It is almost breathtaking how impotent the Biden administration was — which, for better or worse, makes the jarring pace of the Trump administration even more noticeable. President Trump has already set us on a new course internationally, begun reshaping the government, and will soon target the domestic economy. It is crucial that he focuses on restoring the American dream of home ownership.

While largely indecisive in most areas, Joe Biden’s Department of Housing and Urban Development seemed especially bent on slowing down markets and raising prices for American consumers — including those who bought homes.

Trump’s appointments at HUD and the Justice Department can score early wins by restoring law and order to the housing market.

President Trump appears to be on a better path. Scott Turner, the former Texas state representative and new Housing and Urban Development secretary, sailed through confirmation last month. He has moved swiftly to reverse troubling Biden-era regulations, such as the 2021 Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing rule, effectively a zoning tax that drove up housing costs.

Reversing Biden-era policies

Certainly, Turner’s HUD will pursue priorities that are different from those of the Biden administration. Biden’s housing agenda focused mainly on diversity and equity issues. One example was the department’s leadership of the Interagency Task Force on Property Appraisal and Valuation Equity.

Various government agencies, including the Department of Justice, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, participated in this sprawling task force, which sought to crack down on appraisal bias. Even before Turner’s confirmation, the Trump administration began scrubbing the task force from government websites as part of the president’s anti-DEI executive order.

For Turner to restore the American dream of home ownership, he must dismantle many of the task force’s initiatives and other Biden-era housing policies — a challenge he appears eager to take on.

Shortly after his confirmation on February 5, Turner told the Wall Street Journal that he would move quickly to root out inefficiencies in the department and streamline HUD. He also pledged to scrutinize diversity, equity, and inclusion policies, such as “appraisal bias.”

Rocket Mortgage revisited

A recent appraisal bias lawsuit filed by the Biden Justice Department against a host of defendants, including Rocket Mortgage — the nation’s largest mortgage lender — illustrates how Biden’s administration prioritized its DEI agenda over more affordable housing. The lawsuit would be a good place for Turner to start.

In 2021, HUD took over an investigation from Colorado authorities after a Rocket Mortgage customer alleged she was a victim of appraisal bias. In July 2024, HUD announced a lawsuit against Rocket Mortgage and third-party appraisers Solidifi US and Maverick Appraisal Group. In October, a little over two weeks before the presidential election, the Justice Department filed a lawsuit in Denver, alleging the companies discriminated against the black homeowner by undervaluing her home based on her race.

The lawsuit has caught the attention of former HUD officials and legal scholars because the Justice Department’s proposed remedies from Rocket Mortgage would set a dangerous precedent by holding mortgage lenders responsible for independent appraisers hired by mortgage applicants.

Appraisal independence is vital

The principle of appraisal independence, established in the Dodd-Frank Act, ensures that an appraiser’s independent judgment is free from the influence of other parties who might benefit. This safeguard eliminates the conflicts of interest that contributed to the pre-2008 housing bubble, when lenders obtained inflated appraisals to assume more risk and increase profits.

Fannie Mae maintains a fact sheet outlining appraisal independence for sellers and prospective borrowers, emphasizing that lenders are prohibited explicitly from ordering an appraisal, selecting or recommending a particular independent appraiser, or engaging in any communications that could affect the valuation.

Appraisal bias is a real problem but stems from a few bad apples, not a malfunctioning system. The Biden administration’s attempt to rewrite housing laws through the Justice Department and HUD risks disrupting the mortgage-lending industry and making home ownership even more unattainable by reversing protections to prevent another 2008-like housing bubble.

By dismantling the barrier between independent appraisers and lenders, the Biden Justice Department has brought uncertainty to the industry and threatens to destabilize the housing market.

Trump’s appointments at HUD and the Justice Department can score early wins by restoring law and order to the housing market. In doing so, they can help make the American dream of home ownership affordable again — simply by backing off the companies making housing affordable in the private market.

Convicted felon opens fire on armed homeowner who confronts him burglarizing car, cops say. But homeowner is the better shot.



An armed Florida homeowner confronted a convicted felon who was burglarizing his car in his driveway in late December, police said. But after the felon opened fire at the homeowner, the homeowner returned fire and wounded the suspect, police said.

The City of Palm Bay Police Department said the suspect in question has been identified as 26-year-old Javone Williams, WOFL-TV reported. Palm Bay is about four miles south of Melbourne on the state's east coast.

Jail records also indicate Williams was arrested three other times in 2024, once in 2023, four times in 2020, twice in 2017, and twice in 2016.

Officers told the station they responded to reports on Dec. 27 of a suspicious vehicle in the area of the 500 block of Titan Road SE. One caller described the vehicle in question as a silver SUV parked in front of the caller's home, WOFL said.

Police told the station that while they were headed to the reported location, another call came in describing a similar vehicle being involved in a shooting at another residence on the same street.

Officers told WOFL they found shell casings in the road after heading to the location of the reported shooting.

The resident told police his Ring camera alerted him to activity in his driveway, so he exited his home armed with a gun and saw two males going through his vehicles, the station said.

The resident confronted the pair, one of whom shot at the resident, who then returned fire, WOFL said, citing the police report. The shoot-out took place around 1 a.m., WKMG-TV reported, adding that the homeowner was "OK" in the aftermath.

Police at the scene then learned of a person who had been shot arriving at a nearby emergency room, the station said, adding that police identified the individual as Williams.

Police said Williams told them he and his friend were shot at while they were near a different location, but officers noted that they found no shell casings or evidence of a shooting near that location — nor were Williams' wounds consistent with the story he told police, WOFL said.

The police report also states that Williams told officers he was in an Uber his girlfriend requested, but the girlfriend told police this wasn't true, the station said.

More from WOFL:

Police say surveillance video shows the two men searching two separate vehicles, and one begins shooting at the resident before they are driven off by another person in the driver's seat of a car.

Although officers say Williams is wearing the same pants in the video as he was at the hospital, police say he denied being involved in the incident and refused to provide DNA.

Officers say they performed a gun-shot residue test on Williams after he was cleared at the hospital, and the test was positive.

Jail records indicate Williams was charged with numerous felonies in connection with the shoot-out. They include armed burglary with a firearm, aggravated assault with a firearm, discharging a firearm from a vehicle, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, the station said. WKMG said a judge revoked Williams' bond and that he could receive life in prison.

Jail records also indicate Williams was arrested three other times in 2024, once in 2023, four times in 2020, twice in 2017, and twice in 2016.

You can view a video report here about the Dec. 27 shoot-out.

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Government mix-up leads taxpaying homeowner in Chicago to have house sold from underneath her



A Chicago woman is fighting to keep her home after a government mix-up led officials to sell her house from underneath her on account of supposedly "delinquent taxes."

Robin McElroy bought her home in the Morgan Park area of Chicago back in 2012. Since then, she said she has paid the taxes owed on the property and even kept receipts of her payments.

"I do not like wasting money. ... I pay my bills," McElroy told CBS News.

Despite those consistent payments, in 2019, McElroy began receiving notices that her property taxes were in arrears and that her property was in danger of being sold.

McElroy demanded an explanation. In April 2019, she received a letter from the Cook County Treasurer's Office confirming that the county assessor's office had accidentally mixed up McElroy's property identification number — the unique 14-digit number used for tax-related purposes, according to Yahoo News — with that of her next-door neighbor.

She was then told that there were "no grounds to proceed with a sale" of her home, that the assessor's office would make an "internal correction," and that the issue would be resolved. "Don't worry about it," she recalled being told.

'I want what's rightfully owed to me.'

It turns out, McElroy still had plenty to worry about since the "internal correction" the letter promised apparently never took place. Earlier this year, she received a letter from Cook County Circuit Court informing her that her house had been "sold for delinquent taxes."

In fact, the letter added that McElroy actually owed the new homeowner three years' worth of rent. Bearing no ill will, McElroy expressed sincere concern for all the trouble that the other homeowner has had to endure as well.

"This lady should not have to be put in this position to go through all of this headache and heartache," she told CBS News. "This is stressful."

McElroy has since hired a lawyer — paid for out of pocket — to help her straighten out the problem.

CBS News has also been in contact with the assessor's office. While a spokesperson there declined an on-camera interview, the office did confirm that the property identification numbers had been corrected, that McElroy is current on her taxes, and that officials are currently working with a legal team to resolve the problem.

McElroy remains skeptical.

"You guys can point fingers all day long. I don't care," she told CBS News. "I want what's rightfully owed to me."

McElroy had a deadline earlier this month to file a response in court, the outlet added. Whether she filed that response and whether the court has issued any other rulings remain unclear.

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Male allegedly tries to burglarize home, struggle ensues with homeowner — but fight ends when alleged intruder meets bullet



Police in Riverton, Wyoming, responded to a reported attempted burglary where shots were reported fired shortly after 11 p.m. Friday in the 900 block of East Park Avenue, police said.

Police said a caller reported a struggle between a possible intruder and a homeowner.

The homeowner is cooperating with the detectives' investigation, police said.

Officers found a male in his 20s suffering from an apparent gunshot wound near the home, police said.

An individual at the scene reported seeing the male attempting to break into the home, police said, adding that the apparent intruder was taken to a hospital in stable condition.

The homeowner is cooperating with the detectives' investigation, police said.

In addition to officers from the Riverton Police Department, law enforcement from the Fremont County Sheriff's Office, the Wyoming Highway Patrol, and the Shoshoni Police Department responded to the call as well.

Police said those with information about the incident can call the Riverton Police Department at 307-856-4891 and that more information will be released as the investigation continues.

How are observers reacting?

Commenters on the Riverton Police Department's Facebook page seemed decidedly pleased about the outcome — and frustrated about crime and crime-fighting:

  • "What’s there to investigate?" one commenter asked. "Sounds like a clear case of stand your ground/castle doctrine… the homeowner defended his/her property. Good for them!!! The people of this town are fed up with the crime — you’re going to see more and more of us exercising our rights because something has to give."
  • "Seems that’s what it’s gonna take to make it all stop since the prosecutors won’t prosecute," another user declared.
  • "Good for the homeowner!!!!" another commenter exclaimed. "This is what it is coming [to]. Can I be on this jury???"
  • "... needs to happen more," another user added. "Teach these little Son-of-a- Bi….. what happens when you break the law."
  • "HELL YES!! YOU GO!!!" another commenter wrote.

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