Questions tagged [privacy]
For questions concerning privacy issues associated with IoT development, management, and deployment.
19 questions
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How can I disable voice commands (Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa) on iRobot?
I have 2x iRobot (vacuum cleaner and mop) and use their proprietary app, but block internet access for both iRobots on OpenWrt firewall.
Now I want to disable voice commands (Google Assistant and ...
- 121
9
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1
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290
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Privacy with Voice Assistants
I am interested in getting a Smart Home system with a good voice assistant, but my wife refuses to allow a voice assistant like Google Home or Amazon Alexa because she does not want ANY recordings ...
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3
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Is the Amazon Echo mic mute a hardware switch?
I recently got my hands on an Echo Dot.
I'm hesitating to install it, since I'm concerned about my privacy.
According to Amazon's privacy notice, they may use all data they capture.
I've noticed ...
- 413
8
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1
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Is there any way to restrict the Google Home account privileges?
When setting up Google Home one has to give the device full access to the Google Account and cannot restrict most of the privacy options. Is there any way around that? Besides creating an extra ...
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Ads popping up for the same thing I was talking about minutes ago? [closed]
How is it possible that whenever I see or talk about a certain topic to my friends, after few minutes that topic is showing as sponsored ad on Facebook.
I can relate two such incidents. One was I ...
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8
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4
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How can I prevent my device leaking sensitive data through traffic fingerprinting?
According to the recent paper A Smart Home is No Castle:
Privacy Vulnerabilities of Encrypted IoT Traffic, many smart home devices can be 'fingerprinted' by their connection patterns. Since most ...
- 18.5k
11
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4
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2k
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Why was the Internet-connected My Friend Cayla doll banned as a "hidden espionage device"?
According to CNET, the My Friend Cayla doll was banned in Germany because it has been classed as an illegal "hidden espionage device":
If you're considering purchasing a connected toy for ...
- 18.5k
7
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355
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Will Home Assistant's face recognition data be stored permanently in the cloud?
Home Assistant v0.37 includes face recognition:
FACE RECOGNITION USING THE MICROSOFT FACE API
@pvizeli has been on a roll with the image processing integrations. This time it’s the Microsoft Face API....
- 18.5k
9
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1
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314
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Will changing my user name and password block Mirai attacks?
I've recently been reading about Mirai, malware whose source has been revealed which is designed to infect IoT devices. It is appears to be a serious threat to security compromised Internet of ...
- 4,872
8
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Is the Nest Cam recording even when "switched off"?
The Register have published an article suggesting that the Nest Cam could be recording even when told to switch off:
Alphabet-owned Nest says there is no truth to the allegation that its internet-...
- 18.5k
4
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2
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343
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How do I stop the Fitbit Surge from storing GPS data?
I was reading about the privacy of Fitbit devices, and this Huffington Post article has a rather concerning point with regard to GPS-enabled fitness trackers:
In certain cases, the government or ...
- 18.5k
9
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How can I set up IP whitelisting on an IP camera without support for whitelists?
The camera in question is a Ring Stick Up Cam. I want to add an additional layer of security and prevent anyone from peeking (listening) into my home.
I thought that it might be good if I could set ...
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9
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2
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4k
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What personal information is stored on my Amazon Echo?
As far as I can tell, most data from the Amazon Echo (e.g. recordings of my commands) are stored in the cloud, according to the Alexa FAQ. However, I couldn't find any authoritative information about ...
- 18.5k
13
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1
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5k
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Are Samsung's "S Health" devices storing health data in the cloud?
Samsung wearables like the Gear watches can run the Android app S Health are advertised to be quite secure and can be run by using the Samsung Knox security feature which is in itself advertised as ...
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23
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Is there any advantage in encrypting sensor data that is not private?
Some sites, such as this article on end-to-end encryption for IoT, suggest that all traffic sent across the IoT network should be encrypted, saying:
Enterprises, government agencies and other ...
- 18.5k
7
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1
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Does the Google Home record conversations to target advertisements?
Google states that the Google Assistant (the personal assistant that runs on the Google Home, Pixel and the Allo app) uses 'conversation history' for targeted advertising:
Does Google use my ...
- 18.5k
21
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7k
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Is the Amazon Echo 'always listening' and sending data to the cloud?
Several news sources such as Intellihub and CEPro seem to suggest that Amazon's Echo home assistant constantly listens to conversations and sends them via the Internet to Amazon's servers. CEPro ...
- 18.5k
14
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1
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300
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How to stop these toys from sending what my kids say to the cloud?
As reported by several news outlets like the Verge or ConsumerAffairs, the connected toys My Friend Cayla and the i-Que record what the kids say and send it back to a server to help answer kids' ...
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31
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3
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2k
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Intercepting web traffic going over cellular network
If you can plug a device into the wall, or use it in Wi-Fi, it's easy to see the traffic with software like WireShark.
But it seems more tricky to do it with a device that uses LTE/3G or other ...
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