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Smart device manufacturers will be issued with new guidance on how to comply with data protection laws, a watchdog has said, after it emerged air fryers may have been listening in on families’ conversations.
The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) said people feel their household products “collect too much information about them” and they feel “powerless to control how their information is used and shared”.
The watchdog is set to issue new guidance in spring 2025 after a report by the consumer group Which? revealed how some air fryers, smart TVs and smartwatches have been collecting data on those who own them.
Three air fryers, made by the Chinese brands Xiaomi, Tencent and Aigostar, wanted to record audio on their owner’s phone for no specified reason, according to the Which? study.
The Aigostar and Xiaomi fryers also sent people’s personal data to servers in China, although this was flagged in the privacy notice supplied with the product.
Meanwhile, smart TVs made by Hisense and Samsung which were tested by Which? asked for people’s postcodes during set-up. Samsung’s TV app also asked for permission to be able to see all the other apps on the user’s phone.
All of the products in the research required privacy consent to work properly and wanted to know users’ precise locations.
This includes the Huawei Ultimate smartwatch which requested nine “risky” phone permissions – the most of all the devices in the study.
Which? defines “risky” as giving invasive access to parts of someone’s phone. This includes knowing the user’s precise location, the ability to record audio, access to stored files or an ability to see all other apps installed.
Huawei said all of the permissions it asks for have a justified need.
There is no suggestion of illegal behaviour by any of the companies mentioned in the study.
It comes amid reports a company that was not part of the research reserves the right for its smart ovens and similar appliances to collect details of…
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