New study reveals Google Home and Amazon’s Alexa pose serious privacy threats

Smart home devices such as Amazon Alexa and Google Home have become quite prevalent now these days and it is expected that around 780 million people will be using these devices by 2028.  Although these smart home devices promise comfort and ease, issues about their data privacy concerns always outshine the advantages these smart devices provide. A recent study has highlighted disturbing revelations about the data collection practices of smart home devices such as Google Home, security camera apps, Amazon’s Alexa, and household appliance applications.

The findings of the study show that Amazon’s Alexa tops the chart in data collection among all available smart home appliances, seizing 28 out of 32 probable data points that consist of sensitive details like contact details such as phone numbers and email addresses, exact location, and even health-related information. Every data point tracked is associated with specific user profiles, escalating privacy inferences.

On the other hand, Google Home narrowly follows Alexa, gathering 22 data points, which comprise a variety of user information such as search history, email addresses, and browsing details. Likewise, apps linked to home appliances, such as the Keurig coffee machine app, collect 19 data points, emphasizing the persistent nature of data tracking across various smart home utilities. The study - Smart Home Privacy Checker - reveals that one in ten smart home appliances gathers data for tracking tenacities, with Amazon’s Alexa and Google Home being the most data-starving appliances. The findings of the study claim that it is beyond mere data gathering; it encroaches into the private lives of users, possibly causing data theft and the unrestrained exchanging of personal details. 

Security camera applications like Lorex and the Deep Sentinel also top the chart in data gathering, collecting around 12 data points for each app. These data points contain video and audio information among others, which are directly associated with user identities, raising alarms about privacy ruptures and surveillance. 

The study says that the way these appliances manage user data, there is always a need for more transparency. It shows that several such apps have not updated their privacy guidelines for more than a year, potentially keeping their users uninformed about how their private and sensitive information is being utilized. The study also highlights that 12 out of the 290 applications assessed by the experts have kept their data collection practices the same for a year.