Have you ever felt a creeping sensation that someones watching you?
Then you turn around and you dont see anything out of the ordinary.
Depending on where you were, though, you might not have been completely imagining it.
There are billions of things sensing you every day.
They are everywhere, hidden in plain sight inside your TV, fridge, car and office.
But they came witha cost in terms of intrusiveness and loss of privacy.
To do their magic, they need the internet to reach out for help and correlate data.
The Nest smart thermostat tracks your presence and is connected to the internet.
Image: Smart Home Perfected/Flickr
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What these things know about you
Smart devices collect a wide range of data about their users.
Sometimes, this surveillance is marketed as a feature.
Manufacturers typically promise that only automated decision-making systems and not humans see your data.
But this isnt always the case.
But even limiting access to personal data to automated decision-making systems can have unwanted consequences.
This is not always easy.
Governments all over the world have introduced laws to protect privacy and give people more control over their data.
Some examples are theEuropean General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)andCalifornia Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA).
The Federal Trade Commission offerssuggestions on how to secure your internet-connected devices.
