Air fryer app caught asking for voice data (re-air) (Lock and Code S06E24)

In a Lock and Code S06E24 re-air, Malwarebytes revisits how some air fryer apps requested extensive user data, including location and voice recordings, often without a clear reason. The piece notes that in 2024 a UK consumer rights group highlighted that air fryer models from three brands sought permission to record audio on users’ phones.

It adds that the broader trend shows such data requests are not rare, with the episode recounting three stories about consumer devices that quietly harvested data and shared it in unexpected ways. The examples mentioned include kitchen devices that sent data to China, a smart ring that published de-identified aggregate stress data, and a smart vacuum that captured a sensitive image later shared on Facebook.

The author frames these findings as illustrating how everyday devices can turn users into products through data collection, often outside visible or informed privacy assurances.