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Mozilla roasts the Amazon Echo Dot, Ring Video Doorbell, and the Samsung Galaxy Watch 3 for being "super creepy"

The Echo Dot, Ring Doorbell, and Galaxy Watch 3 have been deemed super creepy by Mozilla. (Image source: Mozilla/Amazon/Samsung - edited)
The Echo Dot, Ring Doorbell, and Galaxy Watch 3 have been deemed super creepy by Mozilla. (Image source: Mozilla/Amazon/Samsung - edited)
Mozilla, the organization behind the popular Firefox browser, has taken some pot-shots at popular tech gadgets for being “super creepy”. The Amazon Echo Dot smart speaker, Ring doorbells and cameras, and the Samsung Galaxy Watch 3 were singled out for specific criticism due to concerns with data privacy and data collection.

Mozilla has been roasting products that sit at the “super creepy” end of its Privacy Not Included guide. The guide, which covers wearables, smart home products, and even dating apps, utilizes a “creep-o-meter” that ranks items from simply not creepy to the disturbingly super creepy. In a recent Instagram post, Mozilla warns shoppers about protecting their privacy on Prime Day and recommends avoiding a purchase of the Amazon Echo Dot, Ring Video Doorbell, and the Samsung Galaxy Watch 3.

Amazon’s famous smart speaker gets criticized for the inherent power that Alexa wields. The artificial intelligence learns from commands and remembers the products you enquire about, making it easier for Google to target your household with appropriate temptations. Mozilla points out that users should remember to request “delete what I just said” when talking to Alexa. Ring Doorbells are included because of sharing data with law enforcement agencies, while alternatives such as Eufy and Arlo are suggested.

The Samsung Galaxy Watch 3 is particularly picked on with the comment “this watch watches you a lot”. Samsung collects information to create customized advertising for the wearer. Although there are many tech products, software and hardware related, that clearly do the same thing, Mozilla has still advised that smartwatch fans might want to check out Garmin wearables instead. But even that latter company sells data, albeit in a “de-identified and aggregated manner”, so at least there is some privacy protection on offer.

Buy the Garmin Vivoactive 4 smartwatch on Amazon

Echo Dot. (Image source: Mozilla)
Echo Dot. (Image source: Mozilla)
Ring Doorbells. (Image source: Mozilla)
Ring Doorbells. (Image source: Mozilla)
Galaxy Watch 3. (Image source: Mozilla)
Galaxy Watch 3. (Image source: Mozilla)

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> Expert Reviews and News on Laptops, Smartphones and Tech Innovations > News > News Archive > Newsarchive 2021 06 > Mozilla roasts the Amazon Echo Dot, Ring Video Doorbell, and the Samsung Galaxy Watch 3 for being "super creepy"
Daniel R Deakin, 2021-06-22 (Update: 2021-06-22)