When TV shows were talking up being able to open and close your curtains and turn on lights while away on holiday back when I was a child in the 80s, they neglected to mention there would be an intermediary business involved to whom you would sell out your privacy.
In theory, there’s no need for an Amazon or Hive or Apple or whatever company to be the intermediary. With a bit of nous you can fit and run the relevant devices yourself. Amazon and its ilk were clever by conning people to buy their products at a more convenient price point and allowing the fantasists in the public to believe they’re living in ‘The Jetsons’ rather than ‘Nineteen Eighty-Four Meets Atlas Shrugged!’
You should never be in the situation where any company has that level of access to your home, where your usage of devices can be monitored.
https://dailysceptic.org/2023/06/14/amazon-shuts-down-customers-smart-home-for-a-week-after-delivery-driver-claimed-he-heard-racist-slur-through-doorbell/
Some of the comments on this article are gold.