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US-IT-LIFESTYLE-CES-PRIVACY
Privacy becomes a selling point at tech show
LAS VEGAS, Jan 7, 2019 (BSS/AFP) – Apple is not among the exhibitors at the
2019 Consumer Electronics Show, but that didn’t prevent the iPhone maker from
sending a message to attendees on a large billboard.
“What happens on your iPhone stays on your iPhone,” Apple says in the
message to be seen by tens of thousands attending the Las Vegas tech show.
The message comes as gadget makers are concerned about data protection
scandals and in many cases looking to make their own point about respect for
privacy.
Some companies are offering better ways of protecting internet routers or
services without a need for an internet connection — reducing the potential
for data leaks and breaches.
Dutch startup Scalys is showing its Trustbox, a router that aims to protect
the user’s connection as well as devices using it.
Another router from Chicago-based Winston stops tracking and surveillance
and can also block ads and geolocation.
The data scandals “are like Christmas presents for us,” by prompting more
consumers to look for better security, said Winston founder Richard Stokes.
“As we see more things being connected I think that you’ll definitely hear
people talk about security more and really looking at how would you secure
the data,” said analyst Carolina Milanesi of Creative Strategies.
“More companies are going to take kind of a cue from the marketing that
Apple has been doing.”
– Extra layers of protection –
An estimated 74 million Americans have smart speakers, according to the
research firm eMarketer, with Amazon and Google controlling the lion’s share
of the market.
One of the fears of customers is that these devices are always listening,
potentially putting privacy at risk.
One device being launched at CES is called Mute from a startup called
Smarte, creating a layer of protection to stop the devices from picking up
conversations not intended for queries.
French startup Snips is offering its own digital assistant which can be
installed on a device without an internet connection.
“Customers are turning to us because they don’t want to depend on Big
Tech,” said Snips founder Rand Hindi.
Hindi said the argument from tech firms that they need user data to make
things work is false.
“The only reason they need your data is to target you (with ads) to the
maximum,” he said.
Analyst Bob O’Donnell of Technalysis Researchers said more companies are
starting to wake up to issues surrounding privacy and data protection in
light of the revelations on Facebook and others over the past year.
“We’ve all started to become painfully aware of how big (and far-reaching)
the problem of data privacy is,” O’Donnell said.
BSS/AFP/RY/1602 hrs