If you have a smart TV in your living you might be blissfully unaware of the data that it’s gathering on you. The consumer team at Which? have just released a worrying report that reveals just what some of us hand over to tech giants and your television is just one gadget that appears to be watching you as you watch it.
“Most smart TV menus are now flooded with adverts, some personalised based on user data,” the consumer group explained. “While tracking is optional, Which? has found that LG, Samsung and Sony bundle this up into an ‘accept all’ button, rather than encouraging customers to review a full list of tracking options and then accept or decline which ones they want.”
Of course, tracking can help serve up things that are more interesting to you but anyone worried about privacy concerns might want to dig into the settings and make some changes.
As we mentioned previously, TVs are just the tip of the iceberg with other devices such as video doorbells and boom boxes sending data to tech and social media giants.
READ MORE: Samsung offers Galaxy users free laptops – here’s how to claim yours today
Which? Says it found that Bose speakers share user data with Meta (Facebook‘s owners) and Ezviz cameras, which are sold in stores such as Argos, are linked with social platforms such as TikTok.
In fact, Every single smart camera and doorbell brand Which? assessed used tracking services from Google, while Blink and Ring also connected to parent company Amazon. Even more concerning is that Google’s Nest product demands full name, email, date of birth and gender.
Bizarrely, the amount of things sent to firms can also be down to the smartphone you own. Researchers say they found a stark difference in the volume of data requested by smart speakers if users own an Android phone versus an Apple iOS device. For example, Google Nest products request contacts and location on Android, but neither on Apple’s iOS. The app functions the same on both, so the additional data collected on Android does not appear to be essential.
Many of us appear to have little idea about what is happening to our data with a third of the Which? members surveyed admitted to not reading any of the privacy policy when downloading an app, while two thirds said that they merely skimmed it.
Speaking about the research, Rocio Concha, Which? Director of Policy and Advocacy, said: “Consumers have already paid for smart products, in some cases thousands of pounds, so it is excessive that they have to continue to ‘pay’ with their personal information.
“Firms should not collect more data than they need to provide the service that’s on offer, particularly if they are going to bury this important information in lengthy terms and conditions.
“The ICO should consider updating guidelines to better protect consumers from accidentally giving up huge swathes of their own data without realising.”
