How tech companies deceive you into giving up your data and privacy

This New York Times article highlights the challenges with connected toys more generally.

Bruce Schneier is one of the world's leading security technologist and regularly writes about the importance of security and privacy in the digital space and how to get there. This blog post argues that consumers and the market cannot fix the security problems on their own and regulation is needed.

Ken Munro at Pen Test Partners discovered the Cayla security vulnerabilities already in 2015. As an ethical hacker, he and his colleagues regularly discovered security vulnerabilities in internet-connected devices, and they are proponents for baseline rules for security in order to create a level playing field for businesses, but also to make the market safer for consumers. Munro is also a really engaging public speaker and one of his presentations can be seen in this blog post.

The Internet of Things has a dirty little secret: it's not really yours. This blog and twitter account is regularly updated with funny, yet disturbing news on the currently chaotic market of internet connected devices.

As described in the talk, there are few rules that gives baseline security protections in connected devices. However, California just passed a bill that will improve the situation a bit for consumers from 2020. The senator behind the bill was quoted saying she's had "concerns about privacy issues for many, many years," and was prompted to act last year after hearing from constituents and learning that the My Friend Cayla smart doll, which had been banned in Germany due to concerns about the safety of children, had not been banned in the US.

The European Consumer Organisation (BEUC) fights for digital rights in Europe, often together with organizations such as European Digital Rights (EDRI), Privacy International, TACD and Consumers International. Their websites are worth a visit if you want to know more about these topics.