The Japanese have a fierce problem with drink
PM me for わがままな巨人’s PPS number.
First Google are tracking me, and now Helen McEntee
I never suspected the washing machine, the shneaky cunt
Consumers are being cleaned out of their personal data by tech companies through modern home devices, a consumer group has found.
Which? has concluded that smart speakers, doorbells, security cameras, TVs and washing machines are all invading our privacy by collecting more data than is needed for the device.
The gadgets are collecting so much unnecessary personal data they have been branded “spies in the home” by the consumer group.
Which? analysed the privacy policies of home devices like speakers, cameras and doorbells and found they demand more personal information than is needed to function.
Bose smart speakers share user data with Meta and Google Nest products request contacts and location, Which? found.
Ezviz smart cameras and doorbells, sold by major high-street retailers including Argos, had trackers from TikTok’s business marketing unit, Pangle, Huawei, as well as Google and Meta, that hoovered up personal data, the research said.
Arlo, owned by the burglar-alarm brand Verisure; Eufy, a Chinese firm, and Ring, owned by Amazon, which make smart doorbells and security cameras, want permission for people’s background location, which is not necessary to alert users when their home security system is triggered, Which? claimed.
Much of the data harvesting is done through mobile apps connected to the devices.
The group has now called on the privacy watchdog, the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), to intervene and urged consumers to be more vigilant in their approvals.
“When consumers come to click ‘accept’, unless they closely analyse the fine print, they have little to no idea what will actually happen next with their data,” Which said in a report entitled ‘Spies in the Home’.
Privacy policies are often long and confusing, with consumers rarely reading them. A Which? survey of its members showed that a third did not read any of the privacy policy, while two thirds said that they merely skimmed it.
Google Nest’s is 20,000 words long, which would take an hour and 20 minutes for an average reader to wade through.
Dr Efpraxia Zamani, senior lecturer in information systems at the University of Sheffield Information School, told a recent Commons inquiry into connected devices that terms and conditions are so complicated that consumers do not consent to data sharing but rather ‘surrender’ it. This has previously been characterised as “digital resignation”.
The Commons Culture, Media and Sport committee recently called on the government to standardise privacy interfaces for connected devices to rectify this problem.
Amazon said “We design our products to protect our customers’ privacy and security and to put our customers in control of their experience. We never sell their personal data, and we never stop working to keep their information safe. We use data responsibly to deliver what our customers expect: products that they love and are always getting better.”
Google said: “Google fully complies with applicable privacy laws and provides transparency to our users regarding the data we collect and how we use it.”
Arlo and Eufy did not comment.
What smart devices are storing
Smart speakers Amazon Echo (Alexa) wants your name, address, contacts, phone number and precise location as does Google Nest. Trackers in these devices, including Amazon’s, also send data to Google. Bose speakers share your data with Meta.
Washing machines LG wants the most data, asking for name, date of birth, email, contacts, location and phone number and even access to photos on Apple’s app. LG and Hoover don’t let you opt out of giving date of birth.
Security cameras and smart doorbells Amazon Ring and Blink wants your name, email, phone number, contacts, precise location, often through associated apps. Arlo and Ezviz wants similar data. Some like Ring, Arlo and Eufy want your background location, meaning it tracks you when not using the app. All use tracking services from Google, while Blink and Ring connect to Amazon.
Smart TVs LG, Samsung, Sony and Phillips all deliver personalised adverts through automatic content recognition, which tracks what you watch.
Post it up if yer able
He warned ye all 10 years ago before he got taken out
The new oil he said, he knew.
Daithi is a precious Cunt
Mary should know better but if Daithi had an ounce of decency he’d contact her and give her a 5 minute overview of GDPR and set her straight… but no… he’ll be the bigger man on social media.
A COAM
this wanker actually took the data subjects from a restricted enough GDPR breach and published it on the Internet 
Daithi will be on that housing list a long while
The sense of ‘faux outrage’ from the sap, must have very little to worry about.
Jaysus, are we still going on about GDPR? The uproar about the whatsapp groups died down fairly quickly when Covid hit.
GDPR.
What a pain in the bollox and opportunity for the awkward squad to be a nuisance.