Diagnose Your Device’s Privacy Issues With This List From Mozilla
If you need a little help figuring out how to lock your smart home devices (or the ones you are about to purchase), Mozilla is always here to help. I recommend taking some time to scan his ” Privacy Not Included ” list and bookmark the pages for whatever devices you own. The site not only collects all the important privacy information for your own gadgets, but it also gives you an idea of what devices might seem frustrating when purchased as holiday gifts.
In other words, you might not want to buy your siblings the Facebook portal this year. That doesn’t mean it’s a bad device – it just deserves top honors for being the worst device on Mozilla’s list, according to site visitors. It was joined by the Ring Indoor Cam, Amazon Echo Show, Google Home (surprising considering it’s a speaker without a camera) and Nest Cam Indoor Security to name just a few.
What I love the most about Mozilla’s list is that it’s not just a popularity contest. In fact, four out of the five devices I just mentioned have been rated by Mozilla for meeting its “ minimum security standards, ” although users find them incredibly creepy to use:
“We understand that people just want to know which foods are safe and which are not. We’re Mozilla, not a consumer product review company, so we’re not going to say, “Buy this, don’t buy that.” Instead, we used our technical knowledge to create minimum safety standards that we believe all products must meet in order to be sold in stores. These standards include the use of encryption, automatic security updates, the requirement for strong passwords, a vulnerability management system, and an accessible privacy policy. “
I also like that you can click any product in the Mozilla list to see a full breakdown of which parts of Mozilla’s “minimum security standards” a device meets or does not meet (and why). You also get a small info box that explains how the device is “tracking” you (if any), as well as a fairly detailed description of how a particular device (and parent company) addresses various privacy-related issues:
Mozilla also gives you direct links to the company’s pages and privacy settings (where applicable), a list of all the different ways you can contact the company if you have a problem, and an easy-to-understand summary of the device’s creepiness. fashion.
As I understand it, Mozilla updates this list of devices about once a year, but I think it’s absolutely worth bookmarking the various profile pages for devices you own, buy, or see your loved ones with tech problems trying to set up. That way, you’ll have everything you need to stay as safe and secure as possible, even if you’re interested in a gadget that most other people find creepy. And for those who are primarily unaware of privacy and what that means for the smart device they just purchased, Mozilla’s universal advice is incredibly helpful – if it doesn’t open its eyes.