GoKawiilAdam Breeden/ZDNET
Follow ZDNET: Add us as a preferred source on Google.
As a tech journalist, I am surprisingly hardline about limiting the number of smart and internet-enabled devices in my home. Mostly because I firmly believe that no one should be able to post to social media from their refrigerator, and an oven does not need to integrate Alexa for me to bake a cake.
But another big reason I'm cautious is that the more smart devices you have connected to your network, the easier it is for hackers to access your data. It's a big security risk that's more prevalent than you'd think.
Also: The best VPNs for streaming
While many new smart TVs and internet-enabled appliances offer some level of data protection, whether through a dedicated chipset or integrated malware detection, these measures are at best weak and at worst outright ineffective. Thankfully, if you already subscribe to a VPN or are considering one, adding protection to your smart TV is fast and simple.
Why should you use a VPN on your TV
A VPN will encrypt your streaming, web browsing, and download data from end-to-end. This means that unless they have very sophisticated software and eternal patience, a hacker will have a very difficult time accessing your activity and personal data.
Even if your TV has built-in cyber protection hardware or software, a VPN can help close any potential gaps that bad actors may exploit. This is especially the case if you've got ACR turned on, as a VPN proactively masks your TV's real IP address and encrypts its traffic. The same behavior happens with ISP-based content throttling, with the VPN blocking your provider from seeing exactly what you're streaming.
Also 10+ VPN tricks I recommend to everyone
... continue reading