Bad News for Pet Owners Who Use “Pet Tech” Like Trackers or Feeders
We all know and take for granted that most of the apps we use for things like banking, shopping, and cloud storage need to be extremely secure. However, there’s a new study by Newcastle University and Royal Holloway, University of London that’s discovered something alarming for those using “smart tech” for their fur baby. If you’re using any type of this technology for your dog, cat, or any pet you’re not getting the same type of protection you would on financial-related apps.
What does this mean? It means you’re vulnerable to hackers, information crooks, and identity thieves through these gadgets and the app you use to control them.
The pet technology market is growing quickly and those who use, for instance, automatic feeders and tracking collars are susceptible, with the study finding that users are unprotected.
Many people are very serious about online safety, but when it comes to pet-related apps, they fall short.
The researchers found that more than half (21 of 40) pet-related apps had insufficient password protection making it very easy for cyber criminals to get your information.
There’s more bad news, even though they’re called smart devices because they track your pet’s location, your info isn’t protected well and it gives criminals easy access to your location knowing that you’re the one who’s walking the dog or cat or hamster. This means they know where you are when you leave the house and for how long making you easy prey.
And there’s more, some of the apps also violated data protection laws because they marked locations automatically without offering the opportunity to opt-out.
Dr. Maryam Mehrnezhad, from Royal Holloway, University of London’s Department of Information Security, said, “We are using modern technologies to improve several aspects of our lives. However, some of these cheap technologies come at the price of our privacy, security, and safety. Animal technologies can create complex risks and harms that are not easy to recognize and address.”
It’s suggested that if you’re using any of these apps make sure you’re using a unique password only for that app, check the settings, and consider what data you’re sharing.
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