Read on and learn why this new requirement from these tech giants could change everything.
‘Hey you smart bulb, report to base’
Now, these tech giants reportedly want to have non-stop reports from these gadgets and know at any given time — for example, whether a light bulb is on or off, whether a smart lock’s front bolt is engaged or what channel a smart TV is set to. This information may seem harmless, but it can potentially allow these companies to peer into your home routines. There are legitimate concerns that, combined with the individual data collected through our computers and smartphones, not only can they stitch together our personal daily habits, they can map out our entire household and monitor our families’ patterns 24/7.
Some manufacturers say ‘no’ to selling user data
Your smart light bulbs can potentially know every little detail of your home habits — what time you wake up, what time your children go to bed, what time you turn on the dinner table lights, what time you arrive from work, etc.
What do smart device companies do with your data?
The bottom line is this — with all the data that can potentially be collected with these constant streams of information, there is the potential for abuse. As Kim mentioned on the first hour of the latest The Kim Komando Show episode, “Privacy becomes harder and harder as technology becomes smarter and smarter,” especially with the emergence of internet-of-things devices like smart speakers, always-on virtual assistants and always-connected smart appliances. Even if they do say that they’re not using this data for marketing and advertising purposes now, they can always flip a switch and start doing so. All that data is saved within their servers, right? Maybe instead of enabling these non-stop status updates by default, these companies should offer their customers clear ways to opt out of them and maybe view and delete the data that’s been collected so far.
