In late 2024, the Concord Housing and Redevelopment Authority, a federally funded housing provider in New Hampshire’s capital city, began installing small devices that look like smoke detectors in an estimated 300 residential units they manage.

The gadgets, though, do more than alert the tenants to a fire. Made by a Swedish company called Minut, the devices can detect smoke from cigarettes, as well as monitor noise levels, or even the number of people in a unit. The company, as well as the landlords, essentially have real-time access to the device’s sensors — and the information they gather.

In a new class action lawsuit, the residents of these buildings contend the sheer amount of data being collected by Minut devices is akin to a continuous warrantless government search, and a violation of their privacy rights.