A recent investigation by VPN provider Surfshark uncovered significant privacy concerns about smart home devices, revealing that big tech companies like Amazon and Google are leading the way with pervasive data collection practices.
The study scrutinized popular smart home apps and found that one in ten of these applications track users in multiple ways, potentially violating their privacy.
Amazon's Alexa app and Google's Home app top the list of data-collecting apps, with Alexa collecting 28 data points and Google Home collecting 22. This includes information such as device identifiers, the user's location, contact information, and browsing history.
Alexa, Amazon's smart home control platform, collects more than three times the data of the average smart home device. All of the data collected is linked, and each piece of data collected is associated with a user profile. Data includes precise location, contact information (email, phone number), and health data.
Some of the notable data points Google collects include your address, precise geolocation, photos and videos, audio data, and browsing and search history.
Surprisingly, the Keurig coffee machine app ranks third for data collection. The app collects less data than the two biggest tech giants, but more than double the average of popular smart devices. The Keurig app links all the data it collects to individual users and tracks them across third-party networks using eight data points.
Surfshark also explains why security cameras and their apps are some of the most data-collecting on users, despite being touted as helping keep you safe and secure: On average, these apps collect 12 data points, 50% more than the average for other smart home devices. What's more, these devices link 7 of the 12 points to the user's identity.
The study specifically looked at home security camera manufacturers Deep Sentinel and Lorex, each of which collected 18 data points.
Surfshark also found that many apps don't regularly update their data collection methods, which leads to outdated security protocols and increased vulnerability to hacking and data theft.
Surfshark encourages users to take proactive steps to protect their data, including regularly reviewing and adjusting app permissions, disabling unnecessary microphones and cameras, and regularly updating apps.
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