What if you were spied on by China while you were making fries for dinner? This is what the British consumer association Wich is saying? in a study relayed in particular by The Guardian . This has in fact tested several Airfryer fryers (a pulsed hot air fryer requiring little cooking oil), increasingly popular in home kitchens, and concluded that certain connected models could collect very high data. personal.
This is the case of two oil-free fryers from the Chinese brands Xiaomi and Aigostar and another from the American company Cosori. The products tested work with an application installed on a smartphone, which allows for example cooking to be programmed. But every time it launches, the app would ask for permission to record the audio on the user’s phone. Other data such as the customer’s location, gender or address would also be collected for marketing purposes.
Data sent to Chinese servers
“The Xiaomi app linked to its air fryer was connected to trackers from Facebook, Pangle (the advertising network of TikTok for Business) and Chinese tech giant Tencent. […] Both Aigostar and Xiaomi fryers sent people’s personal data to servers in China »says Wich? in his study.
The association, which also tested watches, televisions and speakers, denounces “excessive monitoring of smart devices”. And this even if the collection of this sensitive information is clearly specified in the conditions of use or the confidentiality policy of the applications. Accessing phone audio through voice commands indeed seems logical, but transmitting the recordings to foreign servers is problematic.
Xiaomi defends itself and tries to reassure
In a right of reply, Xiaomi assures that “respect for user privacy has always been one of the fundamental values” of the company, “which includes transparency, accountability, user control, security and legal compliance”. The Chinese giant claims not to sell information to third parties and confirms that “permission to record audio on Xiaomi Home app does not apply to Xiaomi Smart Air Fryer”.
For his part, Cesori declares to give “priority to confidentiality” and comply with the GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation). Aigostar did not respond to requests from the association.
Some tips before sharing your data
This is not the first time that connected devices have been singled out, like Xiaomi or Huawei smartphones. Lidl’s Monsieur Cuisine Connect also caused controversy with the presence of a hidden microphone that could be activated remotely.
In his study, Wich? recommends carefully checking application permissions before downloading them and only sharing data essential to the operation of the devices. She also advises deleting audio recordings from your phone as you go. The association specifies that the ICO (the equivalent of the French CNIL in Great Britain) should publish new guidelines on manufacturer transparency in spring 2025.
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