How To Know What Data Nearby IoT Devices Are Taking From You

KEY POINTS

Consumers aren't normally aware of devices that are snooping on them
New regulations, however, dictate that people should be informed that they are being monitored and should also be given some amount of control over the process
Researchers have developed an app that will help them do that

Many of today's devices – not just smartphones, tablets and computers – are connected to the internet. These devices include smart cameras, smart doorbells and smart speakers. These are called Internet of Things devices.

Internet of Things (IoT) devices are very useful to their owners. Those who use them, however, aren't usually informed as to what kind of data these devices acquire about them. Worse, they don't know who gets to look at the data the devices acquire.

Thankfully, researchers from Carnegie Mellon University have developed a new app called the “Internet of Things Assistant.” This app, as per Gizmodo, will help users discover and pinpoint the IoT devices around them and know what kind of data the devices are collecting.

Need to know

Professor Norman Sadeh, the principal investigator on the project and a CyLab faculty member in Carnegie Mellon's Institute for Software Research, said via a press release that while some public spaces might have signs that say “this area is under surveillance” so as to inform people that they can be caught on video, such signs aren't enough.

He added that such signs do not indicate how the footage will be used, who can see the footage, and for how long will the footage be kept.

The professor explained that because of new regulations such as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), people should be informed about the kind of data that devices collect about them.

The CyLab faculty member also said that under the regulations, people should be given some control over the data collection process, i.e. the power to know if they are being snooped on and to limit what kind of data can be collected about them.

“We have built an infrastructure that enables owners of IoT technologies to comply with these laws, and an app that takes advantage of this infrastructure to empower people to find out about and control data collected by these technologies,” the professor said

Control

The researchers note that there are a variety of devices that can acquire data from people. These devices can reveal an individual's whereabouts wherever they are, even if that person isn't aware of it. The app, which is available for iOS and Android, will help users discover the devices in their vicinity, and if the devices offer it, allow them to opt-out of data collection.