A British investigation has just revealed that several models of connected oil-free fryers discreetly transmit your personal data to China. In addition to being dangerous for health, would these devices also be dangerous for our confidentiality? It’s quite possible.
For those who don’t know, these oil-free fryers (or Airfryer) use a powerful ventilation system that circulates hot air at very high speed around the food. Connected, more elaborate models can be controlled remotely using a dedicated app or voice assistant.
Data collection with an inordinate appetite
The British organization Which? (equivalent to UFC-Que Choisir, but with a broader approach) specializing in consumer protection, has just brought to light practices that are questionable to say the least. His investigations reveal that certain fryers from the Cosori, Xiaomi and Aigostar brands surreptitiously collect sensitive information via their mobile applications, before transferring them to Chinese servers.
These applications associated with these culinary appliances are particularly voracious in personal information. Gender identity, smartphone geolocation, user address, etc. These fryers therefore aspire to much more than just cooking recipes. If the manufacturers actually mention these collections in their conditions of use, the British association denounces their excessive nature and the opacity surrounding their subsequent exploitation.
Precedents that fuel distrust
This controversy is reminiscent of the affair of the Monsieur Cuisine Connect robot cooker from Lidl. The device concealed a microphone not mentioned in its documentationtheoretically inactive, but potentially exploitable by informed users. Hackers could, in theory, have activated this microphone remotely, which would have given them the opportunity to spy on conversations taking place in the kitchen. A discovery which forced the brand to justify the presence of this component with an aborted project to integrate the Alexa voice assistant.
The company Malwarebytes, a cybersecurity expert, wonders about the relevance of such data collections for simple cooking appliances. The organization still gave these few tips on his website : “ An easy solution? Don’t install the app and avoid giving manufacturers personal information they don’t really need. For the guarantee, they may need your name, but your gender, age and, in most cases, address, are not essential.. Very wise recommendations, because behind these attractive devices could hiding digital surveillance as discreet as it is unjustified.
- An investigation reveals that some connected oil-free fryers transmit sensitive personal data to China.
- The brands Cosori, Xiaomi and Aigostar collect, through their applications, information such as location and gender identity.
- Malwarebytes has recommended not installing the app to limit these excessive data collections.
