The 7 ‘creepiest’ smart gadgets people give as holiday gifts, according to experts – Business Insider

An internet-enabled "smart" device may seem like the perfect holiday gift but there are downsides to owning connected devices that stay on around the clock and are capable of recording sound and video from inside your home.

Privacy and security watchdogs have repeatedly raised concerns with connected devices, and people have proven it's possible to hack popular gadgets like Amazon them with lasers and malicious apps.

Mozilla, the nonprofit software community, compiled a list of connected devices for its annual "Privacy Not Included" gift guide, ranking gadgets based on "creepiness" and delineating which products meet basic security standards. The list also notes which products are capable of snooping on you using a camera, microphone, or GPS.

Privacy concerns also affected Mozilla's rankings for example, the gift guide notes that Amazon's Ring home security gadgets work with over 600 police departments, who have access to Ring locations and can request security footage with users' consent.

Ashley Boyd, Mozilla's vice president of advocacy, told Business Insider that the gift guide is intended to give consumers a sense of what privacy expectations they should hold for connected devices. In some cases, Boyd said, users should reconsider whether a smart device is worth the privacy risks, rather than a non-connected device.

"It can be really hard to gauge how your data is being used ... we wanted to fill a gap in information," Boyd said. "For example, I live in the second floor in a duplex and it is a pain to go down the stairs to see who's at the door, but the risks of a Ring doorbell are not enough for me to buy it."

Mozilla identified 60 products that meet basic security requirements and seven products that don't. Here are the products that Mozilla recommends you steer clear of.

Now tell us what you think!

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The 7 'creepiest' smart gadgets people give as holiday gifts, according to experts - Business Insider

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