Many were alarmed by the news that your air fryer might be spying on you, but this simple trick will help you gain peace of mind.
There's no doubt that air fryers have become one of the essential gadgets to use in your kitchen, and they've revolutionized the cooking space for many budding chefs.
Whether it's crisping up some chicken, taking your roasted veg to the next level, or even baking a cake, there's little you can't do with your trusty air fryer.
Unfortunately one thing that it's also quite good at is listening in on your conversations, which experts have issued an urgent warning against.
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It has been said that these countertop gadgets were sending your personal data to China, which is the last thing that people want in our current surveillance-heavy world.
Unfortunately, it's not just a case of avoiding certain manufactures, as most 'smart' devices these days are listening in some capacity, from the ubiquitous Amazon Alexa to the rather inconspicuous air fryers sat next to your toasters.
What is recommended however, as reported by The Post, is to do what you can to disable aspects of your gadgets that enable them to listen in. These include things like:
- Blocking stalkerware
- Limiting your devices access to microphones and/or cameras
- Disable any voice assistants or text-to-speech technology
This can also potentially overlap into any apps that you have that are linked to devices that would otherwise not have these capabilities.
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There aren't many voice-controlled air fryers out there after all, but plenty have companion apps that can jump off of your phone.
Additionally, try and avoid anything that asks you for any personal information, which was true in the case of Chinese brand Aigostar. Most products can still be used in their full functionality 'offline', allowing you to make perfect chips without letting some random ad agency know you're 37 in two weeks.
When speaking to Mirror Online, a spokesperson from LG remarked that "LG provides customers with a choice and flexibility on how they use their products and appliances," continuing to state that "all LG products can be used manually without the need to share personal details."
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It's then simply up to you whether handing over your personal data is worth being able to control the temperature of your roast chicken from the comfort of your couch. The important thing to know now is that you're aware of the cybersecurity sacrifice, instead of being in the dark about a covert agent sat in your kitchen.