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Smart home devices, including appliances like washing machines, demand unnecessarily large amounts of user data that could end up in the hands of social media and marketing firms, a consumer group has warned.
Which? said many products’ apps request information during setup that should not be needed to run.
Among the offenders are Google thermostats that ask some users for their location and contacts, LG washing machines that need to know your date of birth, and Sony TVs that want to track your viewing habits.
In some cases, Which? said such data is shared with the likes of Facebook and Instagram owner Meta and TikTok.
UK data protection rules mean companies must be transparent about the data they collect and how it is processed.
But most customers are likely unaware of the extent to which it may be shared, as a third of people surveyed by Which? admitted they don’t read a device’s privacy policy and most only skim it.
In the case of a Google Nest device, the documentation is more than 20,000 words.
Rocio Concha, the consumer group’s director of policy and advocacy, said the Information Commissioner’s Office (Britain’s data watchdog) should consider updating its guidelines to better protect people.
“Firms should not collect more data than they need to provide the service that’s on offer,” she said.
“Particularly if they are going to bury this important information in lengthy terms and conditions.”
Who are the worst offenders?
The research looked at what information users needed to provide during setup, what data permissions a device’s relevant app requested, and what activity was subsequently tracked.
Smart cameras and doorbells from Ezviz, sold by many major UK retailers, were found to be particularly hungry and shared data with Google; Meta; Chinese phone maker Huawei; and TikTok’s own business marketing unit called Pangle.
Sky…
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