Hi @janell1991,
What really makes Secluso special is that anyone in the community can inspect and verify everything in the system. Because Secluso supports running open, auditable firmware on hardware like a Raspberry Pi (either your own or our prototype), you can see the source, check the build process, monitor firmware updates, and confirm that the security promises match what’s actually implemented. True trust comes from knowing you can check anything, not just being told it’s secure. Without it, claims about security can’t be independently verified, which means you’re forced to assume there are no backdoors or unpatched vulnerabilities, something you can’t reliably do.
In contrast, HomeKit Secure Video is locked into Apple’s ecosystem. It only works with approved IP cameras, requires an Apple home hub (HomePod, Apple TV, or iPad), and everything is managed via the Home app and iCloud. Because the firmware on those cameras is **closed source** and the updates aren’t inspectable, users **must rely entirely** on Apple’s claims about what the device does, how secure it is, and how updates are handled.
HomeKit does support end-to-end encryption: video is analyzed locally on the hub, encrypted with AES-256, then uploaded with metadata and keys stored in iCloud under end-to-end encryption. But HomeKit’s architecture doesn’t provide the same strong guarantees of forward secrecy or post-compromise security as Secluso does. If the HomeKit persistent long-term keys or their service key pairs are ever breached, all of your security camera videos will become decryptable. With our use of MLS, we ensure that even if keys are compromised, your past and future videos will still be protected.