8 Smart Home Privacy Concerns You Should Be Aware Of

Smart home devices are incredible. They bring convenience, efficiency, and a touch of the future into our everyday lives. But as with most technological advancements, this convenience comes with a few strings attached—particularly when it comes to your privacy. Let’s take a moment to look at the privacy drawbacks of smart devices that you should be aware of.

1 Data Collection and Usage

Let’s kick things off with the elephant in the room: data collection. Smart home devices thrive on data—they need it to function. But have you ever wondered how much data they’re collecting?

In 2017, the US Federal Trade Commission reported that Vizio (the smart TV brand) was gathering data on what people were watching without their consent and selling it to advertisers.

While the company faced consequences, this situation shows how smart devices can gather and use data in ways that might surprise you. It’s worth considering how comfortable you are with your devices knowing so much about you and who else might get access to that information.

2 Always-On Microphones and Cameras

Remember when people joked about their smartphones listening in on their conversations? With smart home devices, that joke isn’t too far from reality. Many smart speakers and security cameras are equipped with always-on microphones and cameras.

These features are designed to respond instantly when you say, “Hey Google,” or “Alexa,” but it also means these devices are always listening. While manufacturers assure us that only specific trigger words activate recordings, it’s hard not to feel a little uneasy knowing a device in your home could be listening at all times.

Take the case of Alexa. In 2019, Bloomberg reported that Amazon employees were listening to recordings captured by Alexa, including those not triggered by the wake word. There are ways you could maintain your privacy while using Alexa. However, even these aren’t foolproof.

3 Integration with Third-Party Services

One of the cool things about smart homes is how everything can work together seamlessly. Your smart lights dim when you start a movie and your thermostat adjusts when you leave the house. However, this level of integration often means sharing data with third-party services.

Each service you connect to your smart home ecosystem may have different privacy policies, and not all are as strict as you’d like. For instance, in 2018, Strava (a fitness app) inadvertently revealed the locations of secret military bases because soldiers were using the app’s integration with their smart devices, per the Guardian.

4 Behavioral Insights and Profiling

Smart home devices don’t just observe—they learn. They learn your habits, routines, and even preferences, creating a detailed profile of your daily life. While this can be convenient (like your coffee maker brewing at the perfect time each morning), it also raises privacy concerns.

Companies can use these behavioral insights to target ads or sell this information to marketers. The idea of a company knowing more about your daily habits than your best friend is a bit unsettling.

5 Data Retention

What happens to your data once it’s collected? Many smart home devices store your information in the cloud, but how long is it kept there?

Data retention policies vary by company and not all of them are transparent about how long they keep your data or what happens to it after it’s no longer needed. This means your old data could still be hanging around, waiting to be accessed, or worse, breached.

It’s worth looking into each device’s data retention policy before bringing it into your home. And if its data retention policy is unclear to you, you could take that as a warning sign to avoid that smart home brand.

6 Cross-Device Tracking

With multiple smart devices in your home, cross-device tracking becomes possible. This means that data collected by one device could be combined with data from another, creating an even more detailed profile of you. For instance, your smart TV might track what you watch while your smart speaker listens to your conversations. When combined, these insights offer a comprehensive view of your behavior.

One way to manage cross-device tracking is to go the not-every-gadget-needs-to-be-a-smart-device route. This way, you can keep them from knowing too much about you.

7 Device Hacking

A significant but often overlooked privacy risk is the potential for device hacking and unauthorized access. While many smart home devices come with security measures, they are not infallible.

CNN reported an instance, in 2019, where a hacker gained control of a Ring camera inside a family’s home. The hacker harassed them by speaking through the device’s speakers. This incident highlighted the vulnerability of smart home devices to hackers who can exploit weak passwords or security flaws.

Even though companies regularly update their security features, the risk of someone gaining unauthorized access to your devices—and by extension, your home—remains a serious privacy concern.

8 Changing Privacy Policies

One of the most overlooked privacy concerns is that privacy policies can change at any time. When you first set up your smart home device, you might have agreed to a certain set of terms and conditions, but companies can update these policies with little notice.

What was once a relatively private service could suddenly become far more invasive—and if you’re not paying attention, you might not even realize the extent of these changes.

Bringing smart devices into your home can make life easier in so many ways, but it’s also important to think about the privacy trade-offs. Being aware of these drawbacks and taking steps to protect your privacy can help you enjoy the benefits of a connected home without sacrificing (too much of) your personal information.