Anyone in your household get a cool smart appliance over the holidays?
You might be surprised by how much it already knows about you.
Recent investigations revealed smart air fryers collecting location data, recording audio, and tracking gender and birth dates — for no apparent reason.
Just because you let them.
The data often ends up in servers overseas or is sold by data brokers. Some goes to giants like Meta, adding to the trove of sweet data its apps including Facebook, Instagram and Messenger already have on you. Or to TikTok, which is known to be much less straightforward.
I talk a lot about how our tank brain looks for trust signals before making purchases. And nothing destroys trust faster than discovering a product is secretly spying on its users. 👀
British and American regulators are taking notice. The UK’s Information Commissioner’s Office is issuing new guidance this spring. The US Consumer Financial Protection Bureau wants more power to control data brokers.
The day of reckoning is coming, even if it seems ridiculously late.
For product makers, this creates both challenges and opportunities:
- The obvious challenge: compliance with stricter regulations
- The hidden opportunity: differentiating through privacy respect
- The strategic question: Does your product really need an app?
The smartest product might be the one that does its job without collecting unnecessary data. An air fryer’s primary job is cooking food crispy. Does it need to know its user’s birthday to do that? (Much less your phone number and be able to track your phone’s precise location wherever you go. Many can.)
As consumers begin setting up their newest smart devices, more and more are starting to ask these questions.
The brands that respect privacy while delivering real value will build lasting trust.
Action for you: Audit your product’s data collection. What is the minimum you actually need to deliver amazing value? Could privacy+respect become part of your competitive advantage?
Laurier
P.S. Before adding “smart” features to your product, ask yourself: Would you want this device watching you in your home? Or sharing 💩 about your own kids?