• Alphane Moon@lemmy.worldOPM
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    10 hours ago

    It’s more devices that enable apps and programs to have access to your local network.

    There are no easy and fast solutions. The best option is to avoid all “corporate” (i.e. non-DIY) smart devices and never connect them to the internet. It may be helpful to get a Pi-Hole running which provides a final layer of defence that catches and block’s random stuff (but not everything).

    Pi-hole is also a fun project for getting into SBCs/Raspberry Pi. It’s cheap and you get a nice little dashboard of all the spyware that it blocks:

    I will note that a Pi-Hole most probably won’t help against Eight Sleep (since it sounds like you need it to have remote access to use it), but it’s good to block random spyware embedded in many seemingly legit applications.

    You can also add a bunch of useful services to the SBC/Raspberry Pi like NAS, Media Server, download client and much more.

    • pelespirit
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      11 hours ago

      Got you, I’m screwed because I have a smart tv. I didn’t realize that they could all talk to each other. I didn’t care if they saw what I watched, I do care if they can get on my laptop or phone.

      • Alphane Moon@lemmy.worldOPM
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        10 hours ago

        They might not necessarily get on your laptop or phone (to be honest they probably can’t), but there is a risk they can.

        I would strongly recommend using the TV purely as a HDMI output device and not using the “smart” functions of the TV. Buy yourself a Raspberry Pi (it will cost less than $100 out of pocket even if you go overboard) and set up a media server with say Kodi or Jellyfin. PM me if you feel like it and I will point you in the right direction (good forums where people will help you and answer intro questions without being annoying).

        • pelespirit
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          10 hours ago

          Thanks again. If I get a breather this summer, I’ll look to you for direction to the right forums.