Nintendo Switch
Review date: 11/02/2020
Since we launched *Privacy Not Included back in 2017, the Nintendo Switch has sat at the top of our list of products users find least creepy. Good on Nintendo for doing a great job with privacy. And for featuring sweet games like Animal Crossing: New Horizons, Super Mario, the Legend of Zelda. Good guy Nintendo also puts a lot of emphasis on easy-to-use parental controls. Dear Santa, we've been really good this year.
What could happen if something goes wrong
Nintendo does a pretty good job with privacy, security, and parental controls. They did have a data breach earlier in 2020 where 300,000 accounts were compromised and attackers gained access to users personal information, including date of birth and email addresses. That's not great. Just be aware that while Nintendo doesn't share your data with third parties, some of the games you play on the Switch made by other companies might be collecting and sharing your data. Also. with the recent release of the new mixed reality game Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit there are some privacy concerns. The game uses a real-life car to play and that car drives all around your home, mapping it and taking pictures. Privacy watchdog Access Now has called on Nintendo to clearly state what data the game collects and how it will protect the privacy of gamers who play this game. We'll keep you posted on Nintendo's response.
Privacy
Can it snoop on me?
Camera
Device: Yes
App: Yes
Microphone
Device: No
App: Yes
Tracks Location
Device: Yes
App: No
What is required to sign up?
Yes
Phone
No
Third party account
No
What data does it collect?
Personal
Name, email, phone number, date of birth, gender
Biometric
Social
How does it use this data?
How can you control your data?
What is the company’s known track record for protecting users’ data?
In April 2020, Nintendo 300,000 accounts were compromised in a data breach which granted the attackers access to users personal information, including date of birth and email addresses
