Companies that make air fryers and other smart home devices now have new rules about what personal information they are allowed to collect from people’s homes.
These rules were introduced by the UK’s Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) after a report from the consumer group Which? revealed that some devices like air fryers, smartwatches and smart TV’s have been collecting personal data from their owners without their knowledge.
Considering this, Stephen Almond, executive director for regulatory risk at the ICO said, "In our increasingly connected world, we shouldn't have to choose between enjoying the benefits of smart products and our own privacy," as per Sky News.
"We all rightly have a greater expectation of privacy in our own homes, so we must be able to trust smart products are respecting our privacy, using our personal information responsibly and only in ways we would expect," he added.
As per Which? three air fryers from Chinese brands Xiaomi, Tencent and Aigostar, tried to record audio on their owners’ phones, but there was no clear explanation given for why they were doing this.
Reports also revealed that in many cases, the manual of a product shows how much personal data the manufacturer collects from the user.
The ICO says manufacturers and developers must "adopt a data protection by design and default approach".
The ICO also advices developers to ask themselves questions like, “Do you really need to collect personal information?” to make sure they only collect what is truly necessary and protect user privacy.
In response to the new rules, Andy Laughlin, a tech expert at Which? said, "ICO's much-needed guidance marks an important first step towards ensuring consumers can have confidence when buying smart products for their home - but this must be backed by effective enforcement, including against companies that operate abroad."
New rules to cover smartwatches and fitness trackers:
As per the reports, the new rules also apply to smartwatches and fitness trackers.
