The ‘smart’ kitchen gadget that could be sending your data to China

Kitchen appliances are listening in on conversations, finds Which?

Air fryers could be sending sensitive personal data to China, consumers have been warned, as campaigners flag growing privacy concerns around the popular kitchen gadget.

Researchers at Which? found that Chinese-made air fryers would share information with servers in China. Smartphone apps that are linked to the kitchen products also sought permission to record audio, for no clear reason.

The group found that data collection “often went well beyond what was necessary for the functionality of the product”.

The consumer advocate group tested air fryers built by Chinese technology companies Xiaomi, Aigostar and Cosori.

The research found that both Xiaomi and Aigostar smartphone apps, used to control the air fryers remotely, sent personal data to China. The data sharing was disclosed in the apps’ privacy policies.

Xiaomi’s smart home app, which can be linked to its air fryer, attempted to connect to digital trackers from Facebook and TikTok, Which? said.

Aigostar’s app also sought personal information such as a user’s gender and date of birth.

All three of the connected apps wanted to know users’ precise location and sought permission to record audio.

Roughly half of UK households now own an air fryer, according to Leatherhead Food Research. The gadgets have soared in popularity thanks to their low energy usage compared to regular ovens.

Many of the kitchen gadgets also come with connected apps and can link to home Wi-Fi, enabling extra features such as remote cooking and temperature control.

Last year, Ted Cruz, a Republican senator, warned that many consumers did not know what kinds of personal data their kitchen gadgets could be harvesting.

“I don’t think the American people want their air fryer spying on them,” he said. “And at a minimum, they have a right to know if their air fryer is spying on them.”

In 2021, security researchers at Cisco found vulnerabilities in Cosori’s internet connected air fryers that would allow a hacker to take remote control of the cooker, although the flaw was later fixed.

Cosori’s models are ranked among Amazon’s best-selling air fryers.

A Xiaomi spokesman told Which? that while its smart home app sought permission to record audio, this was “not applicable to Xiaomi Smart Air Fryer, which does not operate directly through voice commands and video chat”.

The company said: “Our privacy policy is developed to comply with applicable regulations such as the UK GDPR and the DPA 2018. By complying with local applicable laws and regulations in markets where Xiaomi operates, user data are stored in compliance with local laws.”

A Cosori spokesman said: “We prioritise privacy and, subject to our internal compliance requirements, the smart products must comply with GDPR.”

Aigostar did not respond to a request for comment.

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