Are smart toilets the future?

What do smart toilets do?

The smart toilet market has been on the rise for the past few years. And it seems that the technology is getting more and more sophisticated. Coprata, a sampling technology company, and other academic labs are developing a toilet that uses artificial intelligence to analyze waste. This allows the toilet to act as a health monitoring tool that analyzes waste and other physical parameters. It can then use that information to update you and your doctor about potential health issues through a designated app.

Izen, a Korean toilet manufacturer, has also developed a technology that can identify different users of a toilet by unique biometrics.

In this year’s Consumer Electronics Show, the Japanese company Toto presented a toilet device that uses sensor trackers to detect not only your health problems but also emotional conditions. It can also give you lifestyle and health suggestions.

Possible risks

All these innovations sound beneficial, but, like all internet-of-things devices, problems could arise if cybercriminals or data hoarders get involved.

Health is a really sensitive matter — and that means the data associated with it could be valuable to a lot of different people.

Hackers may target the apps connected to your smart toilet, stealing your data or even altering it so your doctor receives the wrong information. And even if the app isn't hacked directly, the company that handles your data could still be the victim of a data breach.

It's not just criminals you have to worry about, either. There’s always a possibility that health data can be sold by companies to advertisers and partners. It's easy to imagine the targeted advertising that corporations could engage in if they have access to your real-time health data.

How to prevent IoT threats

If you use IoT devices, here are some tips on how to make them safer:

• Use a VPN. It will encrypt your traffic, hide your IP, and prevent third parties from intercepting your network and messing with your data. We recommend using a VPN on your router to protect an entire network at once;
• Minimize the IoT devices you use. Do you really need a smart doorbell, smart glasses, or smart toilet? Each of these devices introduces serious risks to your privacy and personal safety. So, we strongly advise minimizing the number of such devices. If you don’t find such an item necessary, it’s best not to use it;
• Use an antivirus and antimalware on your mobile and laptop devices. IoT items usually operate via apps installed on your device, so make sure to protect them properly.

Stay safe!

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