From air fryers to TVs, UK regulator tells smart device makers to prioritize user privacy

The UK's data protection regulator has warned the makers of air fryers, smart TVs, fertility trackers, and smart speakers to respect people's right to privacy following a slew of users raised complaints saying they feel powerless about how data is gathered by such devices. The complaints alleged that smart air fryers were designed to breach privacy by listening to their surroundings and collecting various types of information.

The UK-based Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) has demanded that manufacturers and data handlers ensure data security and ensure regular deletion of collected information.

The CIO has also asked 'spying' appliances to remain transparent with their consumers and avoid 'excessive' surveillance.

An officer of the ICO stated that while devices are meant to make lives easier, they have no liberty to collect excessive amounts of information from their consumers.

"We should not have to choose between enjoying the benefits of smart products and our own privacy," the expert emphasized.

The new guidance also lashed out at other devices that are broadly known as part of the "Internet of things", which collect data that needs to be carefully handled.

For instance, people have raised issues against fertility trackers which collect dates of periods and body temperatures and send them back to manufacturer's servers and make an inference about fertile days based on this information.