In the News
With the holiday shopping season rapidly approaching, gift guides are all the rage. In Mozilla releases privacy report on which holiday gadgets are too creepy, Shannon Liao at The Verge discusses a report released by Mozilla that grades popular IoT (Internet of Things) and tech products regarding their security and privacy policies. Liao reports that 25 out of the 70 products analyzed meet certain standards set by Mozilla and that others including the Amazon Echo and Google Home had important security and privacy risks. Liao explains that the purpose of this report is to help consumers make an educated decision regarding their purchases and how they might impact their privacy.
Our Take
While tech and IoT products are increasing in popularity and decreasing in cost, which makes them popular gift options, not all products have the same security and privacy features. It is crucial that as consumers, we use caution when purchasing such products and develop an understanding as to why certain products are more secure than others. Though products like the Google Home and the Amazon Echo rank low on the privacy and security scale, they can still be used cautiously if one genuinely wants to utilize one. Similarly, even the most secure products can be used in unsafe ways if account privacy settings are not enabled or if strong and unique passwords are not created. In this regard, responsibility is placed on the consumer to make the best out of their tech-related products. However, purchasing products that rank highly in security and privacy can’t hurt.
Recommendations
How can you protect your privacy when using tech-related products?
- Understand the risks of putting your personal information into the world, and only share what you have to
- Always research products before making a purchase
- Change the default password when using a new device immediately
- Don’t reuse your account passwords, and take advantage of multi-factor authentication where possible.
- Check your email, financial accounts, and credit reports regularly for abnormal activities