INAI warns from IoT privacy-related vulnerabilities

Mexico National Institute for Transparency, Access to Information and Personal Data Protection (INAI) issued a warning about IoT home devices and their risk to users’ privacy. The INAI instructs users to apply the following recommendations: (1) Verifying the type and amount of data obtained by smart devices, (2) Modifying the configuration according to the user’s needs, (3) Reviewing the people/entities that have access to the information collected, (4) Reading the conditions of use and storage of the information, (5) Considering the safety characteristics of the product before purchasing it, (6) Changing default passwords and setting strong ones instead, (7) Enabling internet access only when necessary and on secure networks, (8) Installing applications from the official channels provided by the manufacturers, (9) Keeping the device software updated and install the latest patches provided by the manufacturer, (10) Avoid linking the smart device to other devices whose level of control is unknown.