The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has issued a warning about the risks posed by smart devices harvesting personal data.
The ICO also announced a crackdown on connected devices, announcing plans for new rules and action to be taken against manufacturers who fail in their data security obligations.
The warning comes in response to a new report from Which? that conducted a detailed audit of connected devices, revealing that almost all required location data, despite this information not being key to the products functionality. The report revealed that some brands of speakers automatically share customer data with TikTok and Meta, to smart TVs that insist on knowing viewing habits.
The Which? report stated “Based on our testing, Chinese brand Ezviz’s devices, sold by major high-street retailers including Argos, had by far the most tracking firms active. These included Pangle (TikTok’s business marketing unit), Huawei, as well as Google and Meta.”
Every single brand assessed by Which? used tracking services from Google, while Blink and Ring also connected to parent company Amazon. Google’s Nest product demands the user’s full name, email, date of birth and gender.
Andy Ward, VP International, Absolute Software, added: “Connected devices are the lifeblood of a modern workplace but are also a minefield when it comes to data security. The ability for malicious third parties to listen in, steal passwords and confidential information means that organisations should think first before implementing new devices that could present a major security risk.
Key to this effort must be ensuring rigorous and regular cybe ..
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