“The state of digital privacy in 2023 is very spooky.” This is Mozilla’s first-ever “Annual Consumer Creep-Ometer,” which aims to set digital privacy benchmarks and identify trends. This is the verdict.
Since 2017, Mozilla has published 15 editions of *Privacy Not Included, a buyer’s guide to consumer technology. We reviewed over 500 gadgets, apps, cars, and more, evaluating their security features, the data they collect, and who they share that data with. In 2023, we compared the latest findings with those from the past five years. It quickly became clear that products and companies were collecting more personal data than ever before and using that information in shady ways…
Products are becoming more secure, but also much less private. A growing number of companies are meeting Mozilla’s minimum security standards, including using encryption and offering automatic software updates. That’s good news. But at the same time, companies are collecting and sharing users’ personal data in unprecedented ways. And that’s bad news. Many companies now view their hardware and software as a means to an end: collecting coveted personal data for targeted advertising and AI training. For example: Mental health app BetterHelp shares data with advertisers, social media platforms, and sister companies. Japanese automaker Nissan collects a wide range of information, including sexual activity, medical examination data and genetic information, but it does not disclose how.
More and more products are not available offline. Previously, privacy-minded people could always buy a connected device, but they could turn off the connection and make it “dead.” In many cases, that is no longer an option. The number of connected devices that require apps and cannot be used offline is increasing. This trend, combined with the first one, means that it is becoming increasingly difficult to keep data private.
Privacy policy also needs improvement. “Laws, ambiguities, and policies that span multiple documents and URLs are the way things are. And things are getting worse, not better. Companies are using these policies as shields, and they’re not working for consumers. It’s not a real resource.” They point out that Toyota has over 10 privacy policy documents and that in practice it would take time. 5 hours Use a Meta Quest Pro VR headset to read all privacy documents.
Finally, they advise opting out of data collection and enabling security features if possible, and say, “If you’re not happy with the privacy of a product, don’t buy it. And speak up. Over the years, we’ve seen companies respond to consumer demands for privacy, like when Apple reinvented app tracking and Zoom made end-to-end encryption a free feature. .”
You can also take a quiz to calculate your own privacy footprint (based on whether you use consumer technology products like Apple Watch, Nintendo Switch, Nook, Telegram, etc.). Mozilla’s privacy advocacy group gives top ratings to privacy products like Signal, Sonos’ SL speaker, and Pocketbook eReader (Amazon’s Kindle alternative). (However, his 100% of the cars reviewed by Mozilla “did not meet our privacy and security standards.”) ”)
The graphics on the site help get the point across. When you move your mouse on the page, the cartoon eyes will follow your movements…