More and more service providers are getting into the digital key duplication business. The premise is solid and seems to help homeowners avoid a great deal of hassle. All a homeowner has to do is take a picture of the front and back of their key and send the pictures off to a key duplication service for cutting and then shipping back to your location. The entire process takes just a few days and can have you with a spare key in just a few minutes. However, this ease has draw security concerns from some sceptics who believe that having key duplication so widely available in a digital manner can lead to an increased security risk.
One of the biggest security concerns is the ability for another person to take a picture of your house or apartment key for duplication, without you knowing so. Digital key duplication services fight this possible security concern by making the users input both a picture of the front and the back of the key. Key duplication companies claim that only an authorized user would have the time to take a close-up of both the front and back of the key. Additionally, if someone did make a copy of your key and use it to break into your home, key duplication companies claim it is easy to track these violators down thanks to the credit card that they would need to use, in addition to the billing address provided with this credit card. While these ideas seem solid at first glance, it seems that there are ways for criminals to get around the security of digital key duplication services.
Of course in addition to security concerns that surround the physical safety of your key, many potential digital key duplication service users are concerned about the safety of their keys once the picture is sent to the duplication company. So far there have been no security breaches for any of the major digital key duplicators in the United States, but it still stands to see whether there become more security concerns as hackers become more aware of these increasingly popular service. Duplication companies claim that they are doing everything in their power to ensure that your keys stay as secure as possible while in the duplication process. In addition to their security measures, check out some of our safety tips below.
Tips for keeping your house keys safe
- Keep keys in your pocket rather than an exposed lanyard or belt loop
- Never give an individual an entire key ring, only the key they need
- Use keys that say “Do Not Duplicate”
- Keep spares in a secure location
At the moment it seems that key duplication services are doing enough to keep customers safe, however is that concern worth the hassle saved by going to your local hardware store. Many hardware stores complete the duplication of standard house keys for just a few dollars and make an easy way to have spares made for your home. Unfortunately for vehicle owners, digital key duplication services do not have the capacity to provide you with replacement car keys. Remember to always ensure that the digital key duplication company you are choosing is reputable, after all, they will now have access to the piece of equipment that keeps your home inaccessible to outsiders.