Deep fryers that collect your personal data and audio speakers “packed with trackers” are among examples of smart devices involved in “excessive” surveillance, according to consumer group Which?
The organization tested three deep fryers, increasingly a staple of British kitchens, each of which requested permission to record audio on the user’s phone via a connected app.
Smart air fryers allow cooks to program their food to start cooking before they get home. Not all air fryers have this functionality, but those that do typically use an app installed on a smartphone.
Which? found the app provided by the Xiaomi company connected to Facebook trackers and a TikTok advertising network. The Xiaomi fryer and another from Aigostar sent people’s personal data to servers in China, although this was stated in the privacy notice, the consumer testing body found.
Its tests also examined smartwatches which it said required “risky” phone permissions; In other words, they provided invasive access to the consumer’s phone through location tracking, audio recording, and access to stored files.
Which? I found digital speakers that were preloaded with trackers for Facebook, Google, and a digital marketing company called Urbanairship.
The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) said the latest consumer evidence “shows that many products not only fail to meet our data protection expectations but also consumer expectations”.
The ICO, the UK’s independent regulator for data protection and information rights law, is producing new guidance for smart product manufacturers due to be published in spring 2025. It should outline clear expectations about what they should do to comply with data protection. laws and protect people who use smart products.
Harry Rose, the editor of Which? The magazine claimed that smart technology makers were collecting data with little or no transparency and called for the ICO code “to be backed by effective enforcement, including against companies operating abroad.”
In response to Which?, Xiaomi said that respecting user privacy was among its core values and that it complied with UK data protection laws. “We do not sell any personal information to third parties,” he said. “The permission to record audio in the Xiaomi Home app does not apply to the Xiaomi Smart Air Fryer which does not work directly via voice commands and video chat.”
Aigostar has been contacted for comment.
An increasing number of devices in homes are connected to the Internet, including doorbell cameras and smart TVs.
Last Black Friday, the ICO encouraged consumers to check if smart products they were planning to purchase had a physical switch to prevent voice data collection. He encouraged people to “be picky about who gets your data” and to realize that some of the data sharing that products encouraged during setup was not necessary for the product to work.
