The top 10 ways our gadgets betray us

What's more commonplace, a human making a mistake or a gadget playing up? I'm convinced by now that it's the latter. Yes, our gadgets are our best friends. But they can also be the source of innumerable problems. That's why I decided to list the top ten ways they betray us.

Our smartphones tell people where we are at all times

It's easy to forget that the gadgets we use every day have a camera or microphone. That's why it's important to know that they can betray us if we don't take precautions. Here are the top 10 ways our gadgets betray us: Our smartphones tell people where we are at all times.

If you're in a car accident and your phone is in your pocket, police can use location services to find out where you were before the crash. They may also be able to retrieve any data stored on your phone, including text messages, emails and photos. Our laptops track everywhere we go online.

If you use Wi-Fi networks at hotels or airports, for example, websites will know you've been there because their servers log your IP address — a unique number assigned to every device connected to the internet. Websites like Facebook can also track which websites we visit by looking at cookies — tiny bits of code stored on our computers that allow websites to recognize us as we move from page to page.

Our laptops track everywhere we go offline too.

Our smartphones track our online browsing and searches

Our phones are tracking our online searches, the websites we visit and where we go. They're also tracking our physical location. Our cameras can be used to spy on us A smartphone's camera is a powerful tool for spying on you. It can be turned on remotely, even when the phone is locked or turned off.

The FBI has used this power to covertly activate microphones in phones without needing a warrant. Your TV may be spying on you Many new televisions have voice recognition features that listen for commands from viewers. But these features can also be turned off by hackers who can then use them to eavesdrop on conversations in your living room or bedroom.

Your smart car won't let you forget where you parked it Smart cars have built-in GPS systems that tell owners exactly where they parked their vehicle, but these systems also allow hackers to track vehicles' movements — and possibly even unlock doors remotely.

Smart speakers record everything we say

When we buy our smart gadgets, we trust them to be safe and secure. But that doesn't mean that they are. There are a number of ways in which our gadgets can betray us. Here are 10 examples: Smart speakers record everything we say Smart speakers like Amazon Echo and Google Home have been designed to listen to our voice commands, but they also listen to everything else we say around them.

That's because the microphones are always on and listening for input. And if you're not careful about what you say around your smart speaker, it could end up recording sensitive information or conversations that you may later regret having had in the first place. Your smartphone is tracking where you go Smartphones have GPS sensors built into them, so they know exactly where your phone is at all times and can report back regularly on that information to your carrier or anyone else who wants to see it — including government agencies or hackers who may want access to your location data for nefarious purposes.

The only way to stop this from happening is by disabling location services entirely, which means that many apps won't work properly anymore (including maps).

Smartphones, smart tvs and even smart refrigerators can be hacked or hijacked by anyone who knows what they’re doing.

We live in a world where everything is connected: Your phone, your car, your TV and even your refrigerator are all online. It’s great to be able to control everything from one device, but it also opens up more potential security holes than ever before. Here are 10 common ways our gadgets betray us: Smart TVs: Smart TVs are basically computers with a big screen and remote control.

They can be hacked easily by anyone who pays attention to the device's security settings. One of the most common ways to hack a smart TV is through the use of malware that can affect its browsing history and apps. Smartphones: Smartphones are also computers with a big screen and remote control.

They can be hacked in much the same way as smart TVs — through malware or simply by someone gaining access to your device's settings and changing them. This could include changing your phone's password so that you can't access it anymore or deleting important files from it without your knowledge or consent.

A hacker can unlock our doorbell camera

Your home is a safe place. You should be able to relax, knowing that no one can get in without your permission. But with the rise of smart home devices, you might want to think again. Dozens of gadgets are designed to make our lives easier — but they also come with risks we may not be aware of.

Here are 10 ways your gadgets could betray you: Your doorbell camera can be hacked The Ring Door View Cam is a popular choice among home security enthusiasts, but it's also easy for hackers to break into. Earlier this year, researchers at Zscaler found a bug in the company's cloud storage system that allows anyone with access rights to view the video feed from any Ring cam on the network.

That means anyone who knows how to access the cloud storage system — which isn't very hard — could find out when you're away from home and watch your every move through your Ring doorbell camera.

Many phones now have facial recognition technology which is surprisingly easy to fool.

When it comes to gadgetry, technology is a double-edged sword. On the one hand, it makes our lives easier and more fun by allowing us to connect with friends and family, stream our favorite shows and movies, and make all sorts of other things possible. On the other hand, it gives companies access to all kinds of information about us — what we like and dislike, where we go, who we talk to — which they can then use for their own benefit.

And sometimes that can be at our expense. Here are some ways that your gadgets may be betraying you: Many phones now have facial recognition technology which is surprisingly easy to fool. A security researcher showed off how he could unlock someone else's iPhone X with just a photograph of their face as long as he had access to their phone or keychain first.

Apps like Facebook Messenger also allow you to authenticate your identity using facial recognition instead of entering a password or code every time you log in (though Facebook says it doesn't store your photos). To protect yourself from this type of attack, turn off automatic login features within apps and lock down sensitive apps like email or social media with a strong password.

Our connected devices are always listening so that they can respond to voice commands, but that also means that they’re picking up more than just your voice commands.

We’re at a point where we can’t go anywhere without our gadgets. They’re in our pockets, on our wrists, and even in our cars. And that means that they’re always listening — whether we like it or not. We’ve all seen the headlines about how companies like Google and Amazon are listening to your conversations so they can better serve you ads and recommendations.

But that’s just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to what our devices do behind the scenes.

Connected home devices sometimes broadcast other peoples’ information to everyone in the house, like setting the temperature according to someone else’s command.

We have all been there. You walk into a room, and your phone is lighting up with notifications. You can’t help but wonder if someone has been snooping on your account. This is the latest trend in gadgets: devices that betray us. We are giving them more access to our lives than ever before, and they are revealing our secrets to strangers and friends alike.

Connected home devices sometimes broadcast other peoples' information to everyone in the house, like setting the temperature according to someone else's command. Our phones tell us where we are at all times — even when we don't want them to — which makes it easy for anyone who wants to track us down or steal our identity to do so easily.

Even our voice assistants aren't safe from betrayal; they're always listening, even when we aren't asking them questions. Worse yet: They can be hacked into by anyone with basic skills and an internet connection.

Some apps send your data back to china without your knowledge or permission.

There are a lot of ways your gadgets can betray you. Here are 10 of the most shocking: Apps that send your data back to China without your knowledge or permission. Some apps send your data back to China without your knowledge or permission. The FCC got an app called Mother that monitors the health of babies and children.

It came from China, and it turned out it sent the user's data back to servers in China. There was no way to turn off this feature because it was part of the app's design, not a bug or error. The same thing happened with an app called Baby Monitor Plus, which is used by parents all over the world to keep tabs on their kids while they're away from home.

The company behind Baby Monitor Plus eventually gave up trying to defend itself against charges that its software had been sending personal information about American children back to servers in China without their parents' knowledge or consent. The government can access your phone if they want to — even if its passcode is set up correctly.

In February 2019, Apple announced that it would be adding a new feature called USB Restricted Mode as part of iOS 13 (the next major version of Apple's mobile operating system).

In A Word...

Is technology here to stay? Are we loyal to our gadgets, or are they just tools for helping us get stuff done? Although it may not be possible to completely unfetter ourselves from the grip of technology, remember that there's a human on the other side of the screen. Always keep that in mind, and don't let yourself get so wrapped up in your gadgets that you lose sight of who you are as a person.