Makers of air fryers and smart speakers told to respect users’ right to privacy
Makers of air fryers, smart speakers, fertility trackers and smart TVs have been told to respect people’s rights to privacy by the UK Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO).People have reported feeling powerless to control how data is gathered, used and shared in their own homes and on their bodies.After reports of air fryers designed to listen in to their surroundings and public concerns that digitised devices collect an excessive amount of personal information, the data protection regulator has issued its first guidance on how people’s personal information should be handled.It is demanding that manufacturers and data handlers ensure data security, are transparent with consumers and ensure the regular deletion of collected information.Stephen Almond, the executive director for regulatory risk at the ICO, said: “Smart products know a lot about us: who we live with, what music we like, what medication we are taking and much more.
“They are designed to make our lives easier, but that doesn’t mean they should be collecting an excessive amount of information … we shouldn’t have to choose between enjoying the benefits of smart products and our own privacy.“We all rightly have a greater expectation of privacy in our own homes, so we must be able to trust smart products are respecting our privacy, using our personal information responsibly and only in ways we would expect.”The new guidance cites a wide range of devices that are broadly known as part of the “internet of things”, which collect data that needs to be carefully handled.These include smart fertility trackers that record the dates of their users’ periods and body temperature, send it back to the manufacturer’s servers and make an inference about fertile days based on this information.Smart speakers that listen in not only to their owner but also to other members of their family and visitors to their home should be designed so users can configure product settings to minimise the personal information they collect.
Sign up to First EditionOur morning email breaks down the key stories of the day, telling you what’s happening and why it mattersafter newsletter promotionThe regulator said manufacturers needed to be transparent with people about how their personal information was being used, only collect necessary information and make it easy for people to delete their data from the product.The ICO told manufacturers “we are ready to take action if necessary to protect people from harm”.
The trial that gripped Norway like a soap opera has ripped apart track and field’s most famous family | Sean Ingle
The moment that ripped apart track and field’s most successful and eccentric family came in January 2022, after the 15‑year‑old sister of the Tokyo Olympic 1500m champion Jakob Ingebrigtsen was grounded by her father after school.At that point, Jakob and his brothers Filip and Henrik, were all European, world or Olympic champions, having trained like professionals since before they were teenagers. They were also major TV stars in Norway thanks to the docuseries Team Ingebrigtsen, where they appeared alongside their coach and father, Gjert.Gjert, whose manner could make an army drill sergeant sound touchy-feely, outlined his philosophy early in series one. “I don’t want to be an angry man, I want to be a father,” he said
Spaun deserves his dream but US Open chaos did not get best from world’s elite | Ewan Murray
There should be no sense of demeaning JJ Spaun’s US Open glory if observers question the circumstances. Spaun, not so long ago a journeyman professional, played out his dream by holing out from 65ft on the final green at Oakmont.Spaun is a prime example of how the penny can drop for golfers at different stages. Now 34, he is in the form of his life and bound for the Ryder Cup. When he talked later of being awake at three o’clock on Sunday morning because his young daughter was vomiting, his relatability only grew
Hamilton reveals distress over ‘devastating’ groundhog accident at Canadian F1 GP
Lewis Hamilton has spoken of his distress after his Ferrari struck a groundhog during the Canadian Grand Prix on Sunday, describing the accident as “devastating”.The incident occurred 13 laps into the race, damaging the underside of Hamilton’s car and leaving him distraught. He had qualified in fifth on the grid and had been hoping to make inroads on those ahead of him while managing his tyres. But the accident cost him half a second per lap and was followed by other problems with the car.The 40-year-old Briton finished sixth in a race won by George Russell, well behind the leading contenders
Nezza sings national anthem in Spanish at Dodgers as protest against immigration raids
Singer Vanessa Hernández says she chose to sing the Spanish version of the US national anthem at Dodger Stadium on Saturday as a protest against recent immigration raids.Hernández, who performs under the name Nezza, says she was warned by a member of the Dodgers staff before the team’s game against the San Francisco Giants to perform the anthem in English.After her performance Hernández posted a video to TikTok, with the caption “Watch the Dodgers tell me I can’t sing the Spanish Star Spangled Banner that Roosevelt literally commissioned in 1945 – so I did it anyway.” The video shows an apparent conversation with the Dodgers staff member. “We are going to do the song in English today, so I don’t know if that wasn’t translated – er, communicated,” the employee says
ICC ready to back WTC four-day Tests in boost for smaller nations
The International Cricket Council is ready to sanction four-day Tests in the World Test Championship to help smaller nations to play more games and longer series.In the next WTC cycle, which begins with Sri Lanka hosting Bangladesh in a two-Test series on Tuesday, only five-day Tests are permitted by the ICC which has led to an emphasis on truncated series.Of the 27 Test series to be played among the nine countries contesting the 2025-27 WTC, 17 will feature just two matches, there will be six three‑match series and England, Australia and India will all play one five-match Test series against each other.During discussions last week at the WTC final at Lord’s, the ICC chair, Jay Shah, is understood to have expressed his support for four‑day Tests, with a view to sanctioning them in time for the 2027‑29 WTC cycle. England, Australia and India would still be permitted to schedule five-Test series of five‑day matches for the Ashes, the Border‑Gavaskar Trophy and the newly named Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy, the first iteration of which begins with the first Test between England and India at Headingley on Friday
Hollie Doyle: ‘I just want to be the best jockey – I don’t compare myself to female riders’
The jockey’s obsession with winning will drive her on again this week on racing’s biggest stage at Royal Ascot“I’m obsessed with winning,” Hollie Doyle says calmly in response to a suggestion that she seems consumed by racing, “but I do love horses as well. So that helps, doesn’t it?”The most successful female jockey in British racing history had begun our interview with an impressively crunching handshake. Doyle’s cheerfully powerful greeting confirmed that her small but muscled frame ripples with the strength of a supreme jockey absorbed in the singular world of racing. But her daily grind is elevated by more than a thousand victories in the saddle.Doyle offers a grimace of a smile when I ask if she is anything like AP McCoy, the great jump jockey, who said that the elation of a winner usually lasted less than a minute before he felt compelled to look ahead to his next fix of a victory
World’s largest banks pledged $869bn to fossil fuel firms in 2024, new report finds
Metro Bank sobers up and attracts a suitor | Nils Pratley
UK government rollout of Humphrey AI tool raises fears about reliance on big tech
Hey AI! Can ChatGPT help you to manage your money?
Dan Evans reproduces form of old to beat Frances Tiafoe at Queen’s Club
Royal Ascot ready to roll with MPs worried future of racing is ‘on the line’