As the digital age progresses, we’re seeing a surge in innovative smart kitchen devices that claim to make our lives easier. However, these devices are not just helping us cook and clean; they’re also quietly tracking our habits. Let’s shed some light on these not-so-innocent kitchen helpers.
The Not-So-Innocent Smart Refrigerator: How It Keeps Tabs on Your Eating Habits
Smart refrigerators, like Samsung’s Family Hub, are equipped with Wi-Fi and touchscreens. They can track what you put in and take out of your fridge, learning about your eating habits. They can even suggest recipes based on what you have left in the fridge, subtly steering your food choices in a specific direction.
While the convenience is undeniable, it’s worth remembering that your data is potentially being shared with third parties. For instance, grocery shopping lists and eating patterns can be high on the interest list of marketers. Read more about this here.
The Smart Coffee Maker and Its Stealthy Tracking of Your Caffeine Intake
Devices like the Smarter Coffee 2nd Generation can automatically brew coffee at designated times and keep track of your caffeine intake. The device’s app collects data about how much coffee you consume and when you consume it.
The data collected can be used to predict your coffee-drinking habits and suggest new products. While this might seem like a minor infringement, consider the health-related implications. Insurance companies, for instance, might be interested in your caffeine consumption habits. Learn more here.
The Internet-Connected Microwave: Monitoring More Than Just Your Popcorn Habits
Smart microwaves, like the AmazonBasics Microwave, monitor your cooking habits. They track the types of food you cook, and how long and at what times you use the microwave. This data can be used to suggest cooking times for specific dishes or even suggest new products.
Additionally, the data collected can be shared with third parties for marketing purposes. For example, if you frequently cook popcorn, you might start seeing ads for different popcorn brands. Read more about it here.
The Smart Dishwasher: Keeping Track of Your Cleaning Patterns
Modern smart dishwashers, like the GE Profile dishwasher with Wi-Fi, track your dishwashing habits. They monitor how often you run the dishwasher, at what times, and even how dirty your dishes are. This information can be used to suggest optimal wash cycles and potentially promote related cleaning products.
While it may seem harmless, this data could be shared with third-party companies for marketing purposes. It’s always important to consider the privacy implications when using these devices. Check out more about this here.
The Digital Kitchen Scale: How It Tracks Your Portion Sizes
Digital kitchen scales, like the Etekcity Nutrition Scale, can keep track of the weight of the food you’re eating. This can be extremely useful for calorie counting and portion control, but it also means the scale is constantly gathering data about your eating habits.
The data collected by these scales could potentially be used by health insurance companies, diet programs, or fitness apps to target you with personalized ads. It’s essential to read the privacy policy of any smart device before using it.
The Smart Oven: Understanding Your Cooking Habits and Preferences
Smart ovens, like the June Intelligent Oven, come with a host of features such as remote control, live video streaming, and AI technology that recognizes food and cooks it correctly. They can also keep track of your cooking habits, including what you cook, how often, and your preferred cooking methods.
While these features can certainly make cooking more convenient, they also entail a trade-off in terms of data privacy. The data collected can be used to target you with personalized ads and can also be sold to third-party companies.
The IoT-Connected Toaster: More Than Just Toasting Your Bread
Even the humble toaster has not been left untouched by the Internet of Things (IoT). Griffin Technology’s Connected Toaster, for instance, lets you control your toast’s doneness level from your smartphone. But while you’re enjoying that perfect piece of toast, the device is collecting data on your toasting habits.
This data can be used to push ads for related products or sold to third-party companies. While this might seem far-fetched, it’s a real concern that users should be aware of. Read more about this here.