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Do you own (or plan to acquire) one or more ‘smart devices’ such as a smart speaker, an IP camera, a video doorbell, etc.? If so, here’s a little tip for you…
Virtually all smart IoT devices that connect to the Internet collect various types of data about you, your home and/or your family’s activities and send that info back to the company that made the device.
Of course some data collection and transfer activities are essential in order for the device to serve its intended purpose (an IP camera capturing video and sending it to your remote smartphone, for example), but depending on the device and how it is used some of the data that’s collected can be quite intrusive.
That’s why I strongly recommend that you keep the activities and information related to your smart devices separate from your regular day-to-day accounts you maintain with those companies.
Google Nest and Amazon Alexa devices can be quite useful, but do they really need to have access (and be able to transmit) every detail that’s associated with your regular Google or Amazon account? The answer is no.
My general rule of thumb for setting up any device is to give that device access to the bare minimum amount of info that it needs in order to perform its intended function.
If I’m setting up a new Google device I do so using a separate Google account that I have created solely for use with these types of devices. That way if the device ever gets hacked the hacker won’t have access to all the personal info that’s associated with my regular Google account. Ditto for Alexa devices and any other smart devices that I might set up in the future.
This page has info and instructions for creating a new Google account to use with your Google smart device(s).
To create a new Amazon account to use with your Alexa device(s) simply choose that option when the Alexa app’s setup process prompts you to sign in to your Amazon account.
Bottom line: Hackers cannot steal info that isn’t available to them. Keep the info associated with your smart devices to the bare minimum that’s required and you’ll be a lot safer in this increasingly connected world.