“Air fryer made in China, overheard conversation in kitchen and shared on TikTok”

British consumer protection group claims “indiscriminate collection of consumer data”

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Xiaomi air fryer. amazon capture

There have been reports that an app linked to a Chinese-made air fryer listens to users’ conversations and shares them on TikTok.

On the 5th (local time), British media outlet The Sun revealed that user data collected by an app linked to a Chinese air fryer was sent to the servers of Chinese companies such as TikTok.

An investigation by British consumer protection group ‘Which?’ found that apps that could control China-based Aigosta and Xiaomi air fryers asked users for permission to listen to their conversations. .

Location tracking rights and the right to record phone calls are also included.

The apps informed users that data collected when signing up may be passed on to third parties for marketing purposes. However, there was no explanation as to the purpose of data use.

The UK’s Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) is expected to publish new rules on the use of consumer data next spring. The regulations include that companies must transparently disclose the purpose of data collection.

“Currently, smart product manufacturers and their partner companies collect consumer data indiscriminately and most of the time there is no transparency,” said Wichi. “The new regulations that will be applied in the spring will be thoroughly applied to overseas companies as well.”

Xiaomi explained that the investigation into the location of user data being sent to Chinese servers was inaccurate. Additionally, it was reported that the permission to record user audio in the linked app ‘Xiaomi Home’ does not apply when using an air fryer.

Igosta did not reveal its position on this.

Both models are currently being sold on Amazon, the world’s largest e-commerce company.

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Illegally taken data photo. Seoul Newspaper DB

Meanwhile, last year, a Chinese-made IP camera was hacked, and about 4,500 personal videos, including domestic homes and sensitive places such as baths and toilets, were leaked through Telegram.

Security problems with Chinese industrial products do not stop at IP cameras. According to the New York Post, traces of hacking were found in an app linked to a Chinese-made robot vacuum cleaner.

The Korea Communications Standards Commission advised, “In order to prevent damage from IP camera hacking, individual users should also strengthen preventive measures, such as changing IDs and passwords periodically and using security authentication products.”

Reporter Bohee Lee