- Jan 8, 2011
- 22,361
British homes are vulnerable to “a staggering level of corporate surveillance” through common internet-enabled devices, an investigation has found.
Read more at UK homes vulnerable to 'staggering' level of corporate surveillance
I changed the title because it affects everyone, not just UK residents.
Researchers found that a range of connected appliances – increasingly popular features of the so-called smart home – send data to their manufacturers and third-party companies, in some cases failing to keep the information secure. One Samsung smart TV connected to more than 700 distinct internet addresses in 15 minutes.
The investigation, by Which? magazine, found televisions selling viewing data to advertisers, toothbrushes with access to smartphone microphones, and security cameras that could be hacked to let others watch and listen to people in their homes.
Read more at UK homes vulnerable to 'staggering' level of corporate surveillance
Just one device – a Samsung smart TV – connected to more than 700 distinct internet addresses after being used for 15 minutes. If the viewer accepts Samsung’s privacy policy, the company gains the right to monitor what is being watched and when. It uploads some of that data to Samsung’s advertising platform, Which? says, “suggesting it is used for marketing”. Another Samsung device, the company’s Smartthings hub, sits at the heart of the smart home and has a privacy policy that allows aggregated information to be shared with “advertisers and/or merchant partners”.
Other devices didn’t transmit much data but unnecessarily asked for it anyway, creating the possibility of breaches down the line. A Philips bluetooth toothbrush, for instance, links up with a smartphone app to monitor brushing habits, frequency and technique. But the app also asks for location information, which Philips said was used only to find a local company store, and microphone access – Philips said this wasn’t used at all.
I changed the title because it affects everyone, not just UK residents.