ADT Privacy Policy

Last updated: January 2026 | Reviewed: February 2026

Extensive data collection with history of security incidents including insider abuse. Broad law enforcement cooperation and long data retention periods raise serious privacy concerns.

Grade F

Privacy Summary: ADT collects extensive data from inside your home including video footage, audio recordings, alarm patterns, and entry/exit logs. A 2020 incident revealed a technician accessed customer cameras thousands of times over years. ADT cooperates broadly with law enforcement and retains data for extended periods. Their privacy practices lag behind newer competitors.

Category Scores

Data Collection 18/100

Data Sharing 20/100

Data Retention 22/100

Security Measures 18/100

User Controls 32/100

Key Findings

🔎 History of Insider Access Abuse

In 2020, an ADT technician pleaded guilty to accessing customer camera systems over 9,600 times across 200+ customers over 4.5 years. He added himself to customer accounts during installation visits. ADT failed to detect this abuse for years.

"The FTC charged ADT with failing to adequately secure customers' sensitive personal information after learning an employee used his job to spy on women through their home security cameras."

🔎 Always-On Video Recording

ADT cameras with professional monitoring record continuously or on motion triggers. This footage is stored in ADT's cloud and accessible to monitoring center staff, technicians, and potentially law enforcement.

"Video footage from ADT security cameras may be stored in our cloud platform and accessed by authorized personnel for monitoring, support, and legal compliance purposes."

🔎 Broad Law Enforcement Cooperation

ADT shares customer data with law enforcement upon valid legal request and may also share in "emergency" situations at their discretion. Unlike some competitors, ADT does not publish transparency reports on data requests.

"We may disclose your information to law enforcement or government officials in response to legal process or when we believe it necessary to protect the safety of any person or property."

🔎 Extended Data Retention

ADT retains video footage for 30-90 days depending on plan, but alarm history, account data, and interaction records are kept for years. Even after cancellation, some data may be retained for legal and business purposes.

"We retain personal information for as long as necessary to provide services and fulfill legal obligations. Some information may be retained after account closure."

Data Collection Summary

Data Type	Collected	Risk Level
Video Footage (Interior)	Yes	Critical
Audio Recording	Yes (some devices)	Critical
Entry/Exit Patterns	Yes	High
Alarm History	Yes	Medium
Location Data	Yes	High
Biometric Data	Yes (facial recognition)	Critical

Recommendation

High Privacy Risk: ADT's history of security incidents, broad data collection, and lack of transparency make them one of the worst options for privacy-conscious consumers. The insider abuse incident demonstrates systemic security failures.

For Users: If using ADT, disable interior cameras when possible. Understand that technicians may have ongoing access to your system. Consider alternatives with local storage options and better security track records.