Recent investigations have uncovered that apps linked to air fryers made in China listen to users’ private conversations and share them on TikTok.
On Wednesday, the British consumer protection group Which? Claimed that user data collected by air fryer apps from China-based companies such as Aigostar and Xiaomi have allegedly transmitted user data to servers belonging to Chinese tech firms like TikTok.
According to Which? These apps request permissions to access user conversations, track location, and even record phone calls during sign-up. Users were informed that the collected data could be shared with third parties, but no clear explanation was given for how or why the data would be used.
In response to concerns over data privacy, the UK’s Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) plans to announce new regulations regarding consumer data usage next spring. These regulations will require companies to clearly state the purposes for collecting user data.
Which? Expressed concerns that many smart product manufacturers and their partners indiscriminately collect consumer data without transparency. They emphasized that the upcoming regulations will apply strictly to both domestic and foreign companies.
However, Xiaomi countered Which? ‘s investigation, claiming that the permission to record user audio in the linked app Xiaomi Home does not apply when using the air fryer. Aigostar has yet to respond to the claims.
In a related incident last month, reports emerged that a robot vacuum cleaner manufactured in China had made vulgar and racist remarks in a US household.
Daniel Swenson, a lawyer in Minnesota, reported that he had heard a sound resembling a broken radio signal from the vacuum cleaner and someone’s voice. He discovered that a stranger had hacked into the vacuum cleaner app’s live camera feed and remote control features. After resetting the password and rebooting the vacuum cleaner, he thought the issue was resolved until the vacuum resumed spewing vulgarities in front of his family.
Similar reports surfaced around the same time from Texas of an Ecovacs robot vacuum hurling racist slurs at its owner. In response, Ecovacs announced that they have fixed the defect and will upgrade the devices in November.
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