Google's new thermostat looks a lot like previous models in the Nest line, but its ability to control when people are home raises privacy concerns.
First Look at Google's New TV Streamer and Nest Thermostat
The $129 Nest is a hockey-puck-shaped device that aims to save users money by knowing when to crank up the temperature in their home. It uses Google Home software and a radar-on-a-chip system to detect when people are physically present, but the extra data the thermostat collects could be a problem, some experts say.
“At the very least, consumers are giving up another layer of personal behavioral data that can be intersected with other data,” Frederick Lane, a cybersecurity consultant, said in an email interview. “After all, this is a Google product, and it’s likely that Google has extensive data on its Nest users.
"The most innocent scenario is that Google would use the data to further refine its ads. A real concern for all the data collected is of course accidental leakage or theft by hackers. The more data that is collected, the greater its value to hackers."
