Your fridge, your TV, and even your toothbrush are reporting back.
You don’t need a security clearance to be surveilled anymore. These days, all it takes is a kitchen remodel. Or a new phone. Or a thermostat that promised to save you 10% on heating. One minute you’re trying to make life easier with “smart” upgrades, and the next your blender is leaking data to a third-party analytics firm in Singapore. This isn’t a sci-fi dystopia—it’s just your average Tuesday in a connected home.
The creep factor doesn’t always come from obvious cameras or mics, either. A lot of the time, it’s buried in the fine print. That “accept all” button? It opened the door. And now everything from your vacuum to your doorbell is quietly gathering info, watching your routines, and selling that data off to whoever’s buying. You might not have signed up for this, but your appliances definitely did.
1. Your smart TV is probably spying harder than your phone.
That big-screen entertainment center doesn’t just stream your favorite shows—it streams your habits, too. Smart TVs often track what you watch, when you watch, and how long you stay tuned in. A 2024 study by Gianluca Anselmi and colleagues found that many smart TVs leverage ACR technology to analyze viewed content and transmit metadata to advertising platforms for targeted marketing.
Worse, many TVs come with these tracking features turned on by default. You’re opted in before you even know what ACR stands for. And while you can sometimes disable these settings, most people never dig that deep into the menus. Meanwhile, companies are collecting that sweet, sweet metadata. Your taste in true crime? Your late-night reruns? All part of a growing digital profile you didn’t mean to build—courtesy of your smart TV.
2. That helpful voice assistant is eavesdropping way more than you think.
Sure, it’s fun to ask your device for the weather or to play your favorite playlist. But that convenience comes with a mic that’s always on, always listening—just in case you say the wake word. As The Guardian’s Alex Hern reported, Apple contractors regularly listened to Siri recordings, including those triggered by accidental activations, to evaluate performance.
Some companies say they only use this data to improve performance. But buried in the privacy policies, you’ll often find consent clauses that allow your voice data to be shared with contractors or used for “quality control.” That means your private conversations might not be as private as you thought. And unless you regularly purge your recordings (which most people don’t even know is possible), your device is building a pretty detailed audio diary of your daily life.
3. Smart fridges are snacking on your personal data.
They know when the door opens. They know what’s inside. Some can even use internal cameras and inventory tracking to suggest recipes or tell you what you’re running low on. On the surface, that sounds helpful. But every scan, every photo, every “freshness” notification is also a data point. And you can bet that data’s not staying in your kitchen.
According to David Sella-Villa of the University of South Carolina, smart appliances like fridges can collect behavioral data and share it with manufacturers or third parties for commercial insights. That’s how you end up with eerily timed ads for oat milk the day after you finish your last carton.
The fridge didn’t magically know what you wanted. It just watched you closely and told someone else. Your midnight snack run might feel private, but your smart fridge sees—and remembers—it all.
4. Robot vacuums are mapping your home as they clean it.
That cute little puck zooming around your floor isn’t just sucking up crumbs. It’s also creating a detailed map of your home’s layout. Many robot vacuums use advanced sensors and cameras to learn your space, optimize routes, and avoid obstacles. It sounds efficient—until you realize that data is often sent back to the manufacturer or stored in the cloud.
Some companies have even been caught storing images captured by these devices, supposedly for training AI. In a few cases, those images leaked. So now it’s not just floor plans being cataloged—it could be glimpses of your personal belongings, your kids, or your pets. The vacuum isn’t just learning where your coffee table is. It’s learning what your life looks like from the ground up—and possibly sharing it, too.
5. Your smart thermostat knows more about your schedule than your boss.
It’s supposed to save energy, right? And maybe it does. But your smart thermostat also learns your patterns: when you’re home, when you’re asleep, and when the house is empty. That means it’s constantly gathering behavioral data, even if you’re not actively adjusting it. The longer you use it, the more precise the tracking becomes. Over time, that data forms a picture of your lifestyle—one that can be incredibly valuable to advertisers, energy companies, or even insurers.
In some cases, people have unknowingly signed away the rights to this information just by agreeing to rebates or utility programs. So while you’re patting yourself on the back for cutting your electric bill, your thermostat might be handing over your daily rhythms to companies that profit from knowing when your house is empty.
6. That sleek doorbell camera is feeding footage to more than just your phone.
It’s great to know who’s at the door—but you’re not the only one watching. Many doorbell cameras automatically upload video clips to the cloud, where they’re stored and sometimes shared with third parties, including law enforcement. Some brands even have deals in place to let police request footage directly from users or from the company itself, no warrant required.
Even if you’re fine with that, it doesn’t stop there. These doorbell systems can also collect data on motion patterns, audio snippets, and visitor frequency. Some include facial recognition, even if you didn’t realize you enabled it. So while you’re thinking of it as a smart security tool, it might also be acting like a private surveillance node—logging the comings and goings of neighbors, delivery drivers, and anyone else who walks past. That’s a lot of power for a doorbell to hold.
7. Your fitness tracker is basically a wearable surveillance device.
It knows how many steps you take, what time you wake up, and how often you hit snooze. It even knows when you’re stressed—thanks to heart rate variability and movement patterns. Fitness trackers can offer great health insights, but they also gather intimate biometric data that’s incredibly valuable to insurance companies, advertisers, and health-tech firms.
What makes it even trickier is how these devices are often connected to apps with murky privacy policies. You might be agreeing to share more than you realize when you sync your data. And that information isn’t just staying in your pocket.
Your activity levels, sleep cycles, and even menstrual tracking history can be stored long-term or sold for research and marketing. The device that’s helping you get healthy might also be helping someone else profit from your most personal rhythms.
8. That “smart” bed is collecting data while you sleep.
Yes, even your bed might be keeping tabs on you. High-tech mattresses and sleep trackers often come with sensors that monitor movement, breathing, heart rate, and sleep cycles. Some claim to improve your rest by adjusting firmness or climate in real time. But all of that requires constant monitoring—and all that data has to go somewhere.
Many sleep tech companies store your biometric info in the cloud, sometimes for years. In some cases, they partner with third-party researchers or marketers to “enhance user experience”—translation: sell or share your sleep stats. And since people don’t expect surveillance to follow them under the covers, most users never think to question where that data ends up. You might not remember what happened in bed last night, but your mattress probably does.
9. Toothbrushes now track your brushing habits and send them off to apps.
It sounds absurd, but it’s true—your electric toothbrush may be spying on your hygiene routine. Smart brushes can log how long and how often you brush, track which parts of your mouth you’re missing, and even score your performance.
All of that data is sent to an app, where it can be visualized and “improved.” The problem is, those apps often require you to create an account and agree to data-sharing terms. In some cases, that means your brushing data can be used for marketing or shared with dental product companies. Some even incentivize you with rewards or badges, subtly gamifying surveillance. What used to be a private, two-minute moment in the bathroom is now another data point being tracked and monetized. The smarter the brush, the more it wants to know what your mouth is up to.
10. Your car is now a data goldmine on wheels.
Modern cars are packed with sensors, cameras, and connected systems that track everything from your driving habits to your GPS location. If you’ve ever paired your phone or used voice commands, chances are your car recorded more than just directions. Even your seat position and radio preferences might be logged and stored.
And it doesn’t end there. Automakers and third-party software providers often collect and transmit this data—sometimes in real time—to build driver profiles. Some insurance companies even use car data to adjust premiums.
Others might sell anonymized insights to marketers or city planners. You thought your phone was invasive? Your car might be even worse. It knows when you brake too hard, how fast you take corners, and where you go on Saturday nights. And it’s not keeping that info to itself.
11. Your baby monitor might be broadcasting more than you bargained for.
That sweet little camera in the nursery isn’t always as innocent as it looks. Many baby monitors connect through Wi-Fi, which means they’re only as secure as your network. And when security is lax, hackers can gain access, sometimes even speaking through the device or watching in real time. It’s creepy—and it’s not rare.
But even when everything works “as intended,” some baby monitors still transmit video and audio to cloud servers. Companies say it’s for backup or convenience, but it also means your child’s image could be stored far from home. Parents often focus on the safety features of these devices without realizing they come with serious privacy tradeoffs. When it comes to baby monitors, you’re not just watching over your kid—others might be watching, too.