The UK Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has warned that “smart” home appliances, including toasters and air fryers, may be collecting users’ personal data for Chinese authorities.
This was reported by the Daily Mail.
According to a recent study, some internet-connected air fryers request access to the owner’s exact location, and some devices may also access audio recordings via users’ smartphones.
According to Which?, the UK’s largest independent consumer organization, some of the data collected by “smart” devices may be transmitted to servers in China, yet manufacturers do not provide transparent explanations regarding this matter.
It is also noted that smart TVs lead the way in data collection, tracking viewing habits and content usage times. The ICO states that such devices use the collected data to generate personalized advertising.
ICO Executive Director William Malcolm also emphasized that “smart” devices are capable of collecting highly sensitive information about users’ lives—from health status to daily habits and family relationships.
Experts note that some user data may be collected for legitimate purposes, such as analyzing preferences, but they stress that “smart” devices should be limited to only the necessary amount of information, ensure transparency in its use, and give users control over their data.
According to a Which? investigation, three devices—Aigostar, Xiaomi Mi Smart, and Cosori CAF–LI401S—tracked users’ exact locations and requested access to audio recording via a smartphone.
In addition, the app associated with the Xiaomi air fryer interacted with advertising trackers from Facebook, Pangle (the TikTok for Business advertising network), and the Chinese company Tencent, depending on the user’s region. For its part, the Aigostar app requested personal data such as gender and date of birth during registration.
It is also reported that the Aigostar and Xiaomi devices transmitted some user information to Chinese servers, as stated in their privacy policies.
