Smart home equipment primarily aims to facilitate life and make it more comfortable and luxurious, but at the same time it may pose a risk to the privacy of user data through data collection, which occurs in the background. The risk of collecting this data varies with the device that collects this data.
Usually smart home devices, such as a broom, lighting fixtures, etc., are in constant contact with the manufacturer. Denis Kings Kepker, a specialist in law at the University of Bremen, Germany, that this contact may be for the purpose of checking the status of maintenance or updates.
Keeper pointed out that some companies require to use the device to register on the Internet, and therefore the user must first think about the correctness of providing the address and name correctly or that it is better to rely on borrowed data.
Two types of service providers
There are two types of service providers in the market, which are companies that strictly adhere to privacy policies and seek transparency and others that always seek to obtain the largest amount of data, which is then used mostly for advertising and marketing purposes.
For her part, Helga Block, the German data protection and freedom of information expert, recommends that when purchasing devices with smart home applications, manufacturers should ensure that manufacturers use an appropriate system of privacy and the default settings concerned, and this is also called privacy by design or standard privacy.
And before buying a home electronic assistant, it is necessary to inquire about the producing company, preferably from the European Union because it is subject to a strict system of general data protection regulations, and the European general system for data protection, even if this data is transferred abroad.
What happens to the data?
The question now is what happens to the data being collected? From the point of view of data protection, a distinction must be made between using this data locally or transferring it to the company’s producing cloud and analyzing it there. The user should also consider whether it is necessary to control each device using an application, as the applications tend to collect additional personal data that has no connection Using the same device.
For his part, I recommend the German expert in the field of information security Mike Morgenstern before purchasing the device concerned to view the test and experiment reports.
In addition, the user must clarify the extent to which privacy settings can be adjusted, and ensure that he really needs all the features in a way that risks exposing him to the data.
For someone who has already purchased the device, it may be difficult to change the data collection package. However, if the device is in its home "WLAN" wireless network, it will be possible to set up a firewall and prevent data from being sent to the company's servers. Morgenstern explained that this could be very complicated and only done by IT professionals.
In the end, are these concerns a real risk that necessitates reluctance to buy smart home equipment because of it? Experts answer that it depends on the device and its use, and Kepker explained that it would be very sensitive if the device is related to cameras and microphones, but there will not be much risk mostly with the coffee machine connected electronically.