Handling of Personal Data by Smart Home Equipment: an Exploratory Analysis in the Context of LGPD

Abstract

This paper presents an exploratory research that analyzed the Privacy and Security Policies and the Instruction Manuals of 59 home automation equipment for Smart Home in order to verify which personal data was handled and how these documents were providing information about processes performed in personal data. The analysis was conducted with a quantitative approach followed by a qualitative analysis, using content analysis. The surveys identified the following types of personal data: Identification, Financial, Devices and Location. The results presented greater interest in identification data, although financial and location are also used in specific cases. We also concluded that the Privacy and Security Policies present several information that meets the LGPD’s guidelines, especially regarding the purpose of using the data and which personal data is used. However, there is a visible lack of information about the benefits provided to data subjects and about sharing data with third parties, such as recipient data and the legal basis for sharing data.

Keywords

• Smart Home
• Personal Data
• General Data Protection Regulation
• Privacy and Security