Not only is Mozilla now looking out for your browsing needs, they’ve also produced a second “Privacy Not Included“ list. It warns you about Internet of Things (IoT) devices, or ‘smart devices’ you should stay away from this holiday season. We had our team make a list of smart devices that are secure, not too intrusive, and will make your life easier!
One product you should pick up this holiday season is a VPN. VPNs protect your online browsing and hide your IP address so no one’s collecting your data. Try Hotspot Shield, NordVPN, or ExpressVPN for when you’re online this season!
We’ve warned before that IoT devices should not be trusted. These products aren’t geared towards security. Because they’re the products in vogue there’s high consumer demand and not many people think about the security implications until the device is in their home.
Here’s some ideas of smart gifts that aren’t too intrusive and will make your life easier:
- An Amazon Kindle is the best gift if you’re snuggling by the fire or if you’re travelling all over the world. Plus it uses secure encryption and updates on its own!
- Ecobee Thermostat will help keep your house a stable temperature for the upcoming winter, will save you money, and even lets you turn the house heat off remotely. Plus they have a transparent and straightforward privacy policy which is always a good sign.
- If you need a gift for a child consider Fisher-Price’s smart teddy, they can talk and interact while guaranteeing they don’t transmit personally identifiable data via Wifi (a hard feature to find in the smart toy world).
Here some other helpful tips when purchasing smart devices:
- Take precautions with your IoT devices. For one, change your network name and password from the default– create a second network if you have enough IoT toys.
- Read the fine print of the labels and the privacy policy.
- Use a VPN like Hotspot Shield, NordVPN, or ExpressVPN!
- Update when prompted. If your IoT devices aren’t prompting you to do so search for firmware or software updates on their site so you are secure with the latest technology.
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