From smart TVs to smart speakers… could these 5 smart gadgets in your home be spies? Learn how to avoid them
Smart home devices make life easier, but they also pose privacy risks. Numerous reports have revealed that personal data has been leaked from smart TVs, robot vacuums, and CCTV cameras. Therefore, it's important for every user to know how secure their smart gadgets are.
RJ Kesari News Desk: Smart TVs, smart speakers, robot vacuum cleaners, and WiFi CCTV cameras are now a part of millions of homes. Thanks to the Internet of Things (IoT), these devices are making our lives easier than ever.
But these same smart gadgets are also creating the most extensive record of your personal life. These devices are connected to the internet 24 hours a day and continuously collect data using cameras, microphones, and sensors.
Even the smallest security breach could expose your private photos, conversations, and household information to the wrong hands. Reports by organizations like MIT Technology Review,
Consumer Reports, and Check Point Research have uncovered numerous such incidents. Therefore, it's important to understand whether the convenience of a smart home is becoming your biggest privacy vulnerability.
How smart gadgets become digital spies
A smart home isn't just about internet-connected devices, but rather an entire system that constantly operates on data. Smart TVs, Alexa, Google Home, robot vacuum cleaners, and WiFi CCTV cameras are constantly connected to the internet.
They contain cameras, microphones, motion sensors, and other sensors that record information about the home environment and user activities.
This data makes these devices smart, but if security is compromised, this information can also be accessed by cybercriminals. Therefore, cyber experts are now considering smart homes as a major security issue, not just convenience.
How robot vacuums and smart TVs leaked personal data
An investigative report by MIT Technology Review revealed that highly private indoor photos recorded by a popular brand of robot vacuum cleaners had leaked online. According to the report, these images included a photo of a woman sitting on a toilet seat.
These images were first sent to a cloud server and later reached social media during the data annotation process used for AI training.
Meanwhile, automatic content recognition (ACR) technology in smart TVs records what users are viewing. Several cybersecurity investigations have also revealed that some companies collect information related to voice commands as well as other interactions.
Why CCTV cameras and baby monitors are becoming easy targets for hackers
WiFi CCTV cameras and baby monitors installed for home security are among the most frequently connected to the internet. Consumer Reports and Check Point Research have reported that millions of cameras are vulnerable to hacking due to weak passwords and outdated firmware.
In many cases, hackers can gain control of such cameras and even view live video. Therefore, experts recommend periodically updating firmware, maintaining strong passwords, and enabling two-factor authentication.
What data do hackers and companies want?
Not just photos or videos, but your daily habits are also extremely valuable to cybercriminals. Smart devices can track when you leave the house, when you sleep, how many people are in the house, and what products you use.
Smart speakers record voice samples, which can be misused for AI voice cloning and online fraud. If someone gains access to a smart lock or CCTV camera, they can also learn when the house is empty, increasing the risk of theft.