Petchatz HDX

Petchatz HDX

Petchatz
Wi-Fi

Review date: Nov. 8, 2021

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Mozilla says

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People voted: Somewhat creepy

This product bills itself as a digital doggy daycare. It's got your two-way video chats and your treat dispenser and and a ringtone to let your dog know you are calling to check in. It's also got a scent diffuser for your pet's aromatherapy needs (seriously). And if you pay an extra subscription fee, it lets your dog watch DOGTV all day long or even give you "pet-to-parent messaging" with PawCall. Hey, a PawCall sounds way better than a Zoom call.

What could happen if something goes wrong?

Pet cams are an interesting connected device. They bring all the HD camera, two-way microphone, Cloud recording and smart alerts into your home, just like security cameras made by companies like Amazon, Google, and Simplisafe do. The question is, do they do as much as those companies to secure your data? And what about your privacy? These are all great questions.

PetChatz seems to do a pretty good job with privacy and we found no known security breaches or vulnerabilities in their cams. They don’t seem to sell your personal information and they say they won’t share any of your personal information without your consent. All good stuff. They do say they might share aggregated, de-identified information for marketing purposes. This doesn’t worry us too much, although it’s a good time to remind you that it’s been found to be pretty easy to de-anonymize some types of data and track down an individual’s patterns, especially with location data.

What's the worst that could happen? We suppose it's possible some terrible person could hack into your unprotected WiFi, access you Petchatz HDX, diffuse your pet's aromatherapy scents in the middle of the night giving you a sneezing fit which leads to insomnia which causes you to fall asleep at the wheel on your way to work the next morning and you wreck your car. Or, you know, they could just spy on you when you're naked. Really though, you'll probably be ok.

Tips to protect yourself

  • Don't make the password your pet's name. Make it something harder to guess.
  • Keep the camera's software up to date.
  • Cover the lense when you're home and don't need to spy on your furry friend.
  • Keep your WiFi network password protected with a strong password.
  • mobile

Can it snoop on me? information

Camera

Device: Yes

App: Yes

Microphone

Device: Yes

App: Yes

Tracks location

Device: No

App: No

What can be used to sign up?

What data does the company collect?

How does the company use this data?

Without customer's prior consent, PetChatz will not use your personal identifiable information for any purpose other than that for which it is submitted.

PetChatz reserves the right to disclose to third parties personal information about customers for marketing analysis; however, any information disclosed will be in the form of aggregate data that does not describe or identify an individual customer. Other companies will have access to the Information only as necessary to perform their functions and to the extent permitted by law.

How can you control your data?

You may access, remove, review, and/or make changes to the data.

What is the company’s known track record of protecting users’ data?

Average

No known incidents in the last 3 years.

Can this product be used offline?

No

User-friendly privacy information?

No

Links to privacy information

Does this product meet our Minimum Security Standards? information

Yes

Encryption

Yes

All server communication and video chats are encrypted.

Strong password

Yes

Security updates

Yes

Manages vulnerabilities

Yes

Privacy policy

Yes

Does the product use AI? information

No

*Privacy Not Included

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