Privacy

These "user-friendly" network cameras are frequently bought and set up by people who have no idea what they're doing, which leads to thousands of them being accessible to anyone on the Internet:

Bitsight Identifies Thousands of Security Cameras Openly Accessible on the Internet

Wyze cameras let some owners see into a stranger’s home — again

Security startup Verkada hack exposes 150,000 security cameras in Tesla factories, jails, and more

Somebody’s Watching: Hackers Breach Ring Home Security Cameras

Even the companies that make and distribute these cameras don't secure them properly.

In some of these cases getting access to the camera barely even qualifies as hacking. If you know the web address of the camera you can just type it into your web browser and get the live video feed because it's just being streamed to the public Internet, no authentication or encryption. That means someone on the other side of the planet or someone in the house next door can just start watching what's going on in your house.

If the HOA insists on installing cameras, you should insist that they hire a professional to install and configure them correctly and maintain them long-term to prevent security breaches. Someone has to keep the firmware/software up to date when the manufacturer releases security patches and bug fixes, not just for the cameras but also for the network they're connected to. This means you don't just need to pay for one-time installation, you need to hire an employee long-term.

I would also ask the pushy neighbor if he was specifically planning on buying Wyze cameras for this. They've had multiple security problems in recent years.

A halfway intelligent thief could just use the camera to see where things worth stealing are kept and what time of day is best for breaking in unnoticed. If this is not done properly it will make the security worse, not better.