Household appliances collect more user data than necessary

Smart household appliances have become an integral part of modern households. From air fryers to smartwatches to smart TVs, connectivity makes devices more efficient and user-friendly. But a recent study by the British consumer protection organization “Which?” shows that these devices often collect more data than is necessary for their function.

The investigation of “Which?” covered several categories of smart devices, including air fryers, smart watches and smart TVs. The data collection from air fryers from Xiaomi, Cosori and Aigostar was particularly noticeable. In some cases, these not only require location data, but also personal information such as gender and date of birth, which are not necessary for the operation of the devices.

Smartwatches like the Huawei Ultimate require up to nine permissions, including access to all installed apps and precise location data. Huawei argues that these permissions are necessary for functional reasons, but consumer advocates are critical of this. Huawei says that users always have full control over which permissions should be granted and blocked.

Smart TVs from manufacturers such as Samsung and Hisense also require personal data such as the zip code when setting up. At LG this is optional. According to the report, the Samsung TV app in particular requires eight critical permissions that almost correspond to the requirements of the Huawei smartwatch.

What is the point of collecting data?

Manufacturers typically use permissions and personal information to enable convenient smartphone control, personalized recommendations, and integration into smart home systems. These functions can make everyday life easier and increase efficiency in the household.

What do the manufacturers say?

Samsung and others emphasize that they take data protection very seriously and comply with the respective legal requirements. You can view and delete collected data in your own Samsung account. Hisense uses location data for individual, regional advertising. If they have concerns, users could also provide incomplete information.

Google gives the tip that you can use your own Assistant in guest mode. It would work without any personal data and would not store anything. Xiaomi emphasizes that data is not sold and certain features are only relevant for regional markets. Sending data to China to Tencent servers, for example, is only intended for China. There was no response from LG, Aigostar, Bose and other manufacturers.