This App Lets You Know Who Is Stalking You

These days, there are more and more devices connected to the internet or controlled by voice. The downside of this trend is that we are losing control of our own privacy. However, there is an app that can tell you who’s stalking you behind all those internet-connected devices.

A group of researchers has released the application Enter the Internet of Things Assistant, which pinpoints which smart devices are nearby and spies back. For example, public cameras that have scene and facial recognition capabilities are tracking where you are at the mall, through the smart speaker or a smart doorbell. In such cases, the app will allow you to find out the IoT devices in your vicinity as well as learn what data they collect on you.

In an example conducted by Gizmodo, after downloading and installing the application on the phone, it turns out there are several smart camera firms that collect visual data from those who pass by their cameras in the neighborhood. Besides, the app shows if the data is identifiable and that the data collection is for unspecified reasons.

There are also other types of data collection, such as audio data collected from smart speakers, or presence data collected through a beacon in a certain storefront. If there’s a way available to opt-out of that collection, the Assistant app will help you get access to the choices.

While this app is a great help with data awareness, it’s already ironic to download another app to your phone, considering how apps are often infamous for privacy intrusion. So, no matter what measure you’re taking to protect yourself, think it through.

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