There are plenty of places to find great deals on gifts people want to receive. Tap or click here for 5 unique items coffee lovers will love. But you really need to be careful when giving technology as gifts. Not all gadgets are created equal when it comes to protecting the users’ privacy. Keep reading and we’ll show you some products that are great, and others that aren’t.
Creepy gifts you should avoid
Mozilla recently put out its annual report and shopping guide identifying which tech items are secure and can be trusted, along with others that are not so trustworthy. It’s called the “Privacy Not Included” report, and the goal is to help shoppers know which gifts could be harming the privacy of their friends and family. Let’s jump right into some of the items that made the creepy list. Keep reading to the end and we’ll show you some items that are safe to gift this year. Google Nest Hub Max Google’s Nest Hub comes with a camera, microphone and touchscreen display. You can use it to make video calls, watch YouTube, monitor your video doorbell, share photos and more. The privacy issue is Google may target you with ads based on your searches, location, websites and apps you’ve used, videos and ads you’ve watched, age range, gender and more. It also collects biometrics data. Google may review voice data from interactions with your device, and face data from its Face Match recognition feature may be sent to Google’s servers for product improvement or testing. Needless to say, this isn’t a very private system and you might not want to gift it to someone who doesn’t know the risks going in. Facebook Portal Here’s another device that lets users video chat. Worse, this one comes from Facebook — the least trustworthy social media site to date. Facebook has a horrible track record with the way it handles users’ privacy, but many wouldn’t hesitate to put its video system in their homes. Nah, bad idea. Furbo Dog Cam with dog nanny Do you ever wonder what your pets are up to when you’re not home? With the Furbo dog cam, you can keep an eye on things around the house while you’re at work; however, some people might think this would be a creepy device to have in their homes. An HD camera with two-way audio in your home. What could go wrong? Those are just a few of the items that made the creepy list. Keep reading to see a more complete list. Now, we’ll show you some items that are good to go as safe gifts this year.
Safe tech gifts for 2020
Nintendo Switch Whether you are at home or on the go, solo or with friends, the Nintendo Switch was designed to perfectly fit your lifestyle. It’s considered a safe bet when it comes to privacy, as it uses encryption in transit and at rest. Sony WH 1000-XM3 noise-canceling headphones Give the gift of industry-leading headphones this Christmas. These Sony noise-canceling headphones are Alexa-enabled for voice access to music, information and more. They also have a super long battery life that provides up to 30 hours of play time. The all-new Kindle comes with an adjustable front light that lets you read comfortably for hours — indoors, outdoors day and night. Select from millions of books, newspapers and audiobooks. iRobot Roomba 675 What’s better than giving the gift of relaxation? To be honest, not much. But you can try with this iRobot Roomba 675. No more time wasted vacuuming the floors. Just let the Roomba take care of it so you can sit back an relax.
Back to the creepy list
Here are more items that made the Naughty List. They are categorized as a little creepy, somewhat creepy, very creepy and super creepy: A little creepy
Garmin Vivosmart 4 fitness trackerStar Wars Boost Droid Commander interactive LegosAnafi DroneSYMFONISK table lamp with Wi-Fi speakerFitbit Inspire HR fitness trackerJabra Elite 65t earbudsWhistle Go pet trackerSamsung Galaxy FitGarmin Index smart scale
Somewhat creepy
Tile Mate trackerWithings Body ScaleFitbit Aria 2 scaleWyzeCamSonos One
Very creepy
Tello DroneArtie 3000 Coding RobotPetcube Bites 2PetChatz HDLink AKC Smart CollarOurPets SmartScoop Intelligent Litter Box
Super creepy
Petzi Treat CamWagz Serve Smart FeederFacebook PortalNest Cam Indoor Security Camera
This is just a portion of the items that made the list in the Mozilla report. You can read the full report by downloading the PDF below. Tap or click the image and you will be taken to a page where you can see the full Internet Health Report. Once on the page, just tap the Download full-color PDF button and you can save it to your device to read in full.
