From Our President: Making Smart Devices Safer

In the past few years, our homes have become filled with products that can connect with each other. TVs, lights, doorbells, vacuums, even our sprinkler systems are now often designed to connect to the internet and communicate with us. In fact, CR has rated hundreds of these smart products, extolling the many ways they make our lives easier, more enjoyable, and safer, too.

But while these smart devices have brought us greater convenience and made our homes more efficient, they also require us to be smart about how we use them.

At CR, we always want to ensure that you are making informed choices about the products you bring into your home, and it's no different with these devices.

Security cameras and video doorbells are real game changers when it comes to increasing personal security. You can keep an eye on loved ones from anywhere, and even answer your front door without worrying about social distancing—an important plus in this age of COVID-19.

But many of these devices can also share your personal information with their manufacturers, or worse, be susceptible to hacking. A key way to protect yourself is to modify your privacy settings so that your camera is as secure as possible and you have control over what data and information are shared.

CR's Digital Lab brings a new level of scrutiny to connected devices in today's marketplace, including research we conduct and new tools we are creating to provide you with data security ratings for smart devices.

Above all, we want manufacturers, such as the ones featured in the "Smart Home Toolkit," to design smart products with your well-being in mind, and we won't let up until we see digital standards in place for them.