Philips Hue is making user accounts mandatory if you want to use its app. But there are alternatives.
According to its current privacy policy, with an account, Hue gets access to the configuration of your system to provide the right software updates to the devices. It can only use your data for marketing or share it with third parties if you provide additional consent.
However, in a change to the current policy, Yianni says Hue will not collect usage information from users without additional optional consent. “So, we do not require users share anything about how they use our products,” he says.
“Previously creating an account was consent for usage data processing that we are in the process of decoupling and will be decoupled before accounts become essential — that makes sure it’s possible to create an account without sharing usage data,” says Yianni. However, if you choose to use the cloud services for things like out-of-home connectivity, you will need an account, and Hue will process your data, he says.
If this change to the privacy policy does happen, Home Assistant’s Schoutsen agrees that it would make the requirement for an account more palatable. “But it all depends on the exact changes,” he says.
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If a bad actor has access to your home, I doubt light bulbs will be your main concern…
They’re probably the only thing worth stealing in my home.
huehuehue
Notably they would also have access to normal physical light switches. Oh no, someone in the room could turn my lights on or off, the horror.
Read: Before YOU were able to verify who was using the device. But now WE want to know who is using the device.
I wonder if a mark… Er customer, ever brought up this concern?
I bet some marketing clown thought it up lol