smart home devices News

Cybersecurity Labeling for Smart Devices Aims to Cut Hacking Vulnerabilities

The Biden administration and major consumer technology players on Tuesday launched an effort to put a nationwide cybersecurity certification and labeling program in place to help consumers choose smart devices that are less vulnerable to hacking. Officials likened the new …

U.S. Consumers Value Data Privacy Over Savings in Home, Auto Insurance: Policygenius

Despite inflation and rising costs, most Americans would rather pay more for insurance coverage than use data-monitoring devices, according to an annual survey from Policygenius. The survey found that 68% of U.S. consumers said they would not install an app …

Amazon Keeps Growing, and So Does Its Cache of Data on You

From what you buy online, to how you remember tasks, to when you monitor your doorstep, Amazon is seemingly everywhere. And it appears the company doesn’t want to halt its reach anytime soon. In recent weeks, Amazon has said it …

Flaws in Smart Home Devices May Mean False Sense of Security

Researchers at North Carolina State University have identified design flaws in “smart home” Internet-of-Things devices that allow third parties to prevent devices from sharing information. The flaws can be used to prevent security systems from signaling that there has been …

Google, Amazon Expanding Smart Home Device Data Gathering

As Amazon.com Inc. and Google work to place their smart speakers at the center of the internet-connected home, both technology giants are expanding the amount of data they gather about customers who use their voice software to control other gadgets. …

Smart Home Product Security Risks Can Be Alarming

Say you’re on your laptop at Starbucks, minding your own business, when an acquaintance of yours across the room isn’t minding his. Unbeknownst to you, he’s using the same store Wi-Fi as you to conduct a virtual invasion of your …

How Big Tech Flirted with Insurance in 2018

The almost weekly headlines about insurers and venture capitalists investing in insurtechs and tech-savvy insurance startups sometimes blocked the view of what established big technology firms were doing in insurance. During 2018, giant technology firms Google and Amazon showed renewed …

Travelers Teams with Amazon to Offer Smart Home Products, Insurance Quotes

The Travelers Companies Inc. is teaming up with Amazon to offer smart home kits, insurance quotes and risk management information through a digital storefront: Amazon.com/Travelers. Customers will be able to obtain smart home kits at discounted prices in participating states. …

Lowdown on Smart Home Devices

This week’s Lowdown highlights interesting results from a new report by Parks Associates entitled, Market Snapshot: Insurance, Consumers, and Smart Home Solutions. The survey reveals that nearly 60% of respondents, (consumers with homeowners or renters insurance), are likely to purchase …

Can Your ‘Smart’ Appliances Be Trusted with Your Personal Data? Probably Not…

Your fridge is getting so smart, security-software maker Kaspersky Lab thinks you probably shouldn’t trust it. As makers of household appliances fill their machines with computer chips to make them smarter, consumers and privacy watchdogs should beware the data collected …