Shulou(Shulou.com)11/24 Report--

According to the news on January 9, American consumers, regulators and companies all face an unavoidable problem: technology products often have huge security and privacy loopholes when they come to market. The annual International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) also brings a large number of new products that may invade users' privacy without security censorship. Privacy and security experts say this could add fuel to the fire.

"I think a long-term problem with consumer electronics is that it doesn't provide people with enough information so that consumers can decide whether they want to use these devices or not," said Cindy Cohn, executive director of the Electronic Frontier Foundation (Electronic Frontier Foundation), a privacy advocacy group.

At the 2023 International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, thousands of companies unveiled wearables, smart TVs, self-driving cars and other devices based on users' own or home data. Many companies are touting their products as a great new generation of devices, but few companies directly explain how they handle the customer data they collect, or the safety and security mechanisms of their devices.

Kyle Wiens, chief executive of iFixit, a well-known dismantling website dedicated to protecting consumers' right to repair equipment, admitted: "this year's show seems to have no theme, like throwing everything on the wall to see what will stick."when this happens, it will have a negative effect on our society."

Cohen and representatives from iFixit, Consumer Reports and other consumer rights groups held a "worst show" conference at the show, naming which companies' products are likely to have a significant negative impact on privacy, consumer choices and the environment. These include some of the most popular breakthrough new products this year, such as the U-Scan urine sensor made by connected healthcare company Withings. It can analyze hormone levels in urine and is currently preparing to go on sale in the United States. Withings said the company would store user data indefinitely and would "comply with all legal requirements in the region where it operates". The company stressed that it would not share data with third parties.

Cohen believes that people often do not ask sharp questions about product safety at exhibitions, and companies often do not take the initiative to provide such information.

"only one company actually mentioned [privacy or security]," Leanna Miller, an employee of a small company that makes reusable clipboards, said at the show, coming to see what new products were available at this year's show.

Jane Jen Easterly, director of the US Cyber Security and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), said in an interview on the sidelines of the exhibition that, with a few exceptions, technology companies will only address security problems, rather than spending more time testing products and adding security features.

These companies are "really focused on cost, functionality, performance and speed to market, not basic security," she said.

Eastley and George George Kurtz, chief executive of CrowdStrike, a cutting-edge cyber security company, focused on the rapidly rising cost and danger of cybercrime. They all say that cybercrime usually depends on new products that are shipped in haste.

"when we think about the world we live in, we cannot accept that ten years later the online risk will be the same or worse as it is now," Eastley said in his speech. "

While Eastley stressed that she did not support "too much" regulation, improvement may still depend on consumer demand for safer products and regulation at the level of government agencies. For example, regulation can adopt stricter privacy protection measures, or communicate more clearly with consumers about the risks posed by the product. The US government has the idea of introducing a nutrition label-based "software bill of materials" that allows companies to tell buyers which software components are included in the product.

The EU recently fined Meta, the parent company of Facebook, $414 million for withholding information about targeted advertising in its terms of service, failing to obtain definitive permission from users or giving them the option to refuse the service. Meta said the company intends to appeal the ruling and the fine.

Companies promoting facial recognition technology are all over the showroom at this year's International Consumer Electronics Show. The Disney-funded Miko robot is equipped with facial recognition, which can use cameras to analyze children's emotions and record users' family elements. The CEO of Miko says all facial recognition data is stored on the device, not in the cloud.

In addition, there are many smart home devices with cameras, such as automatic lawn mower Landroid Vision, which can navigate in the user's yard. WORX, the device maker, says all images captured by lawnmowers are anonymous and that any face or house number is blurred before it is sent to the company's cloud storage. But WORX-related privacy policies leave room for advertisers to share data.

'The company can choose to make useful, private, repairable products, but what's the point of a $200 travel cup with a location-sharing function and a battery that can't be removed? 'Mr. Wynes of iFixit said at the "worst of the show."

"We already have thermos," he said. "they have been around for a long time."

Jamie Kaplan (Jamie Kaplan), vice president of communications for the Consumer Technology Association (CTA), organizer of the International Consumer Electronics Show, said the show encourages innovation, entrepreneurship and economic growth. This year, CTA hosted a total of 320 exhibitors.

"CES requires exhibits to comply with US law," she said in a statement. "US law supports innovation, focusing on restricting bad behavior rather than banning new innovative products."

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