Connected devices and your family's privacy

A device in your home can send information about the people around it. Before connecting it, consider what it needs to do, what it records and who can receive those records.

A speaker, camera or toy deserves that review even if your child never touches its controls. I'd choose the simplest device that meets the need, with as little collection as possible.

Find out what depends on the internet

Can it do the job without an internet connection or account?
Does it record sound, video, location or household activity? When?
Are records kept on the device or sent to a company's servers? Who can access them, and can you delete them?
Can you switch off the recording or sharing you do not need?
How long will it receive security updates? What still works if the company closes the service?

Local storage means records are kept on equipment you control. Check whether the device also sends copies or other information elsewhere. A subscription price or a “privacy” label does not answer that.

Set up the access you need

Update the device's software and its companion app. Use a unique password for the account and turn on two-factor authentication when available. This adds another check when someone signs in, such as a code from an authenticator app.

Review who can use the device or view its records. Remove access that is no longer needed. Turn off optional recording, advertising and data-sharing features you do not want, and choose how long to keep records.

Consider everyone the device may capture, including children, visitors and neighbors. I'd avoid recording private rooms and explain to the people in the home what a camera or microphone does.

Review the devices your family has

Speakers and voice assistants

Find out what activates the microphone, what is sent away for processing and whether recordings or transcripts are kept. A microphone switch and a history setting do different jobs: one controls listening; the other controls stored records.

Review saved activity in the assistant's account, delete what you do not want kept, and check recording and product-improvement choices separately. Turning off future saving does not necessarily delete the past.

I'd use the physical microphone control when voice features are not needed and avoid putting an always-available voice assistant in a child's bedroom. A child can see that choice and understand why some conversations should remain within the home.

Cameras and video doorbells

Check the live view and a saved recording. See what is actually visible and audible, including neighboring homes and places where children spend time.

Use recording schedules or privacy zones where available, and test the result. Limit who can view the feed and how long footage is retained. Turn off remote viewing if you do not need it.

Review the provider's rules for access and disclosure, including requests from government. A switch for voluntary sharing does not determine every circumstance in which the company may disclose stored footage.

Televisions and streaming devices

Look for viewing-data collection, personalized advertising and voice features in the privacy settings. Some TVs use automatic content recognition to identify what appears on the screen, including video from a connected device.

If you only need the television as a display, you can leave it disconnected from the internet. Review any connected streaming player separately; it has its own accounts and data choices.

Toys and children's watches

Consider why a toy needs a microphone, camera, location or internet connection. An offline toy may provide the play your child wants without those features.

For a connected watch, check who can call or message it, who can see its location, whether it keeps a location history and who holds that history.

If the purpose is reaching family, Is my child ready? helps separate that need from other functions a device brings.

Thermostats and health or fitness devices

A thermostat's home-and-away feature uses information about when people are present. A wearable may record movement, location, sleep or other health information. Review the particular features you use and any accounts connected to them.

I'd consider whether the useful function needs a continuing history, and whether sharing that history with another app adds enough value to justify the access.

Your home router

The router connects devices to your network. Keep its software updated, protect its administration account with a strong password and use WPA3 or WPA2 for Wi-Fi security. Avoid the older WEP and WPA options.

If the router supports an isolated network for connected devices, you can use it to separate them from computers holding personal files. Check the router's instructions for isolation; a second network name alone does not establish it. Test that the devices you need still work together.

Separation limits access between devices. It does not stop a connected device from sending information to its own service. Review the router's logging and cloud-management features too.

Check again when something changes

A new feature, app, account or person with access is a reason to revisit these choices. Before selling or giving away a device, follow its reset instructions and remove it from your account.

For access requested by phone apps, use How to limit data collection about your child. For what adults post, use Sharing photos and information about your child.