This smart thermostat has five questions for you, including when you get up, when you leave for work, when you get home, and when you go to bed. Answer them, and you’re on your way never having to worry about adjusting your thermostat ever again. That’s also a lot of information to give up for the convenience of never having to adjust your thermostat. Good thing Netatmo seems to care about your privacy.
What could happen if something goes wrong?
Because Netatmo is headquartered in France, it appears their privacy policy applies Europe’s stricter GDPR privacy regulations to all their data collection, which is great for users. They don’t sell data. They are very cautious about who they share data with.
We love that Netatmo seems to take privacy and security seriously. It’s a great thing to see from makers of smart thermostats. What’s the worst that could happen? Well, we suppose someone could learn the answers to the five questions your smart thermostat asked you. Get to know your schedule too well. Know when you’re away from home and use that to time their break in to steal your TV. They could also learn that same information from watching your house or following you on social media, so, yeah, this smart thermostat probably isn’t the greatest threat to your privacy. Still, it's good to be aware.
Tips to protect yourself
- Check out Netatmo security tips.
- Store video locally as much as possible rather than in the Cloud.
- If you connect to Alexa or Google Assistant, delete your historical voice recordings from time to time, by saying “delete what I just said."
Can it snoop on me?
Camera
Device: No
App: Yes
Microphone
Device: No
App: Yes
Tracks location
Device: No
App: No
What can be used to sign up?
Yes
Phone
Yes
Third-party account
No
What data does the company collect?
Personal
Name, contact details. Location is optional (only if using the app).
Body related
Social
How does the company use this data?
How can you control your data?
What is the company’s known track record of protecting users’ data?
A minor security vulnerability was found in 2020 by the security review team Bitdefender. According to Bitdefender, Netatmo acknowledged and fixed the problem quickly.
Can this product be used offline?
User-friendly privacy information?
Links to privacy information
Does this product meet our Minimum Security Standards?
Encryption
Strong password
Security updates
Manages vulnerabilities
Privacy policy
Does the product use AI?
Is this AI untrustworthy?
What kind of decisions does the AI make about you or for you?
Is the company transparent about how the AI works?
Does the user have control over the AI features?
Dive Deeper
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