Mozilla publishes its annual buyer’s guide of safe internet connected products

Mozilla released its annual buyer’s guide of safe internet-connected products. The guide aims to assist consumers in their decision making of purchasing IoT devices. These products fit into six categories — smart home, home office, toys & games, entertainment, wearables, health & exercise, and pets. For each device, Mozilla created the following checklist: (1) Worst-case scenario – what would happen if something goes wrong? (2) Minimum security standards – a five-point security scale based on the following security standards: the use of encryption, how it handles automatic security updates, requirements for a strong password, a system to manage vulnerabilities, and having an accessible privacy policy. (3) How the device handles privacy – analysis of each company privacy policy. (4) Permissions – whether the device or its app uses a camera, microphone, or tracks your location. (5) The use of AI – whether the product uses artificial intelligence. (6) Creep-O-Meter (users’ response) – this measure is aimed for consumers to share their own opinions. Users can read the review of the product, then rate how creepy or not creepy they think the product is and how likely they are to buy it. The list divides the devices into five broad categories, ranging from not-creepy to super-creepy.