Before you buy holiday gifts, check this list for tech snoops

Once Christmas music starts playing, the trees go up and the wish lists are compiled, I know an email I’ll get: Mozilla’s latest warning about popular tech gifts that are just awful when it comes to privacy.

This year’s *Privacy Not Included guide ranks over 150 gadgets across different categories by what data they collect and what they do with it. Mozilla does a great job at these lists, for sure.

We’re not talking randomized info about where you live and when you use the product. We should be so lucky. Check these out:

• Wyze’s smart home app asks for permission to read your text messages. Nope. 
• Bose headphones can track head movements — and may sell that data, along with your email address. Huh? 
• iRobot jumped into AI with the Roomba, and images from inside users’ homes leaked to Facebook. Come on!

Bad news: Sonos, Eufy and Bose used to be on Mozilla’s nice list. Not anymore. And Amazon, Samsung and Microsoft Xbox have gone from bad to worse. Let’s take a closer look.

The naughty list is long

Here are lowlights from this year’s list:

• Some good broke bad: Sonos and Bose have been in Mozilla’s good graces for privacy in recent years. They have earned its *Privacy Not Included warning label for the first time.
• Google went from just OK to officially bad: Also joining the formerly OK but now naughty list are (Google-owned) Fitbit and Tile trackers.
• Bad guys who keep getting worse: Amazon, Amazon Ring, Samsung, Microsoft Xbox and Wyze were already on the naughty list, but they managed to get worse.
• AI integration is much more common: It is used in at least 94 of the products Mozilla reviewed. Often, that means your personal information can be stored, studied, shared or all of the above. Two such cases: iRobot’s test-run Roombas’ video recordings were reviewed by humans for AI training. That resulted in images from inside test-users’ homes showing up on Facebook.
• Creepiest product ever: Mozilla added a ton of new products to its roster this year. Some were good, some were bad and others left Mozilla speechless. Almost. It rarely says this, but do not buy the Angel Watch for your child or vulnerable person in your life. This surveillance watch doesn’t have a privacy policy at all!

More ways to check privacy

Head to the Mozilla Creep-O-Meter to see if products in your household help or hurt your digital privacy. It takes a hard look at the most popular consumer tech devices and assesses the good, the bad and the downright ugly. Mozilla uses a scale from one to 100, with 100 being the worst. 

To get started, select which popular products you own from the list. Click See Results for a custom score based on how well (or poorly) your selections protect your personal information. 

We tested it by choosing Telegram, the Apple Watch and the Google Nest video doorbell. Crushed it with a “You’re off the grid” rating! Now, all that’s left is to buy that plot of land in the middle of nowhere. 

Not all is gloomy in tech land!

Mozilla’s “nice” list, aka tech that respects your privacy, hasn’t been released yet, but I got a sneak peek. 

• Garmin’s already good privacy policies got even better.
• Some interactive toys for kids, like the Tamagotchi Uni and Artie 3000, don’t collect data by default. Love that.

⚠️ Buying tech for your favorite people this year? Scan Mozilla’s list to make sure you’re not sending a spy into their homes.