{"id":73832,"date":"2023-12-14T12:57:23","date_gmt":"2023-12-14T20:57:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.mozilla.org\/?p=73832"},"modified":"2023-12-14T12:57:24","modified_gmt":"2023-12-14T20:57:24","slug":"tech-gifts-holiday-guide-2023-christmas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.mozilla.org\/en\/mozilla\/tech-gifts-holiday-guide-2023-christmas\/","title":{"rendered":"These tech gifts will make you feel safer (and better) about gifting this holiday season"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

‘Tis the season to spread joy and thoughtful gifts, but in this digital age, it’s crucial to consider the privacy and security of our loved ones. Enter Mozilla’s “*Privacy Not Included” <\/a>tool \u2014 your guide to tech gifts that not only bring smiles but also ensure privacy and security. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mozilla published this shopping companion tool in 2017 to help customers identify products that meet their privacy and security needs. It\u2019s hard to get clear information from companies about the security and privacy of their connected products \u2014 who has time to read every single word in the privacy policies for every product out there? That is where Mozilla comes in, we have read up on every product. This guide hopefully provides you a way to navigate it by understanding what questions you should ask and what answers you should get before buying a tech product. Questions like, \u201cWhat is the company\u2019s track record for protecting the personal information they collect on you?\u201d for starters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We\u2019ve got a bunch of smart people at Mozilla that dive deep into all the info for this guide. They\u2019ve spent hours upon hours diving through privacy policies, hitting up companies with questions, and sorting through product and app details. What\u2019s cool about it: It\u2019s easily laid out \u2014 look through our How to Use This Guide <\/a>page.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s mind-numbing (researching private policies), and we do it so that so many people don\u2019t have to because they\u2019re very confusing,\u201d Jen Caltrider,<\/a> leader of the *Privacy Not Included guide, adds. \u201cWe<\/em> sometimes have a hard time deciphering and understanding them, and so I feel bad for people that don\u2019t read them all day every day to try to understand them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe try and approach it as consumers would if they had lots of time and had read lots of privacy policies so they knew what to look for.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let’s unwrap the perfect presents for a tech-savvy and privacy-conscious holiday season!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mental Health<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gift idea: Finch: Self Care Pet<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why: A self-care app can be super helpful for anybody during these times. Finch\u2019s pet friend, one that you\u2019re responsible for, gives some cool self-care activities like breathing exercises, motivational quotes and mood check-ins. When it comes to privacy, Finch is graded as \u201cpretty OK\u201d from our team \u2014 that\u2019s better than terrible! \u2014 just be ready to make a lot of decisions about privacy within the app when getting started.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Also: It\u2019s important to remember that while these types of mental health apps are helpful, they\u2019re not a substitute for professional care.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fitness Trackers<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gift idea: Garmin Index Smart Scale<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why: You can help your loved ones stay healthy while respecting their privacy with Garmin\u2019s Index Smart Scale. This product delivers advanced health and fitness metrics \u2014 weight, body mass index, body fat, skeletal muscle mass and more \u2014 without compromising personal data. If you\u2019re looking for a gadget to pair with it, try Garmin\u2019s Forerunner Series<\/a> watch. Both of these items get the green light from our *Privacy Not Included team, too, providing a secure and active lifestyle for those close to you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Smart Home Cameras<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gift idea: Ecobee Smart Doorbell Camera<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why: Let\u2019s be honest for a second: There\u2019s a plethora of video doorbells out there to choose from, but not many of them take security and privacy seriously. This one from Ecobee isn\u2019t perfect, but it\u2019s also not terrible, and our researchers have faith they care about protecting privacy \u2014 \u201cwe really do think they are pretty good at protecting and respecting their users\u2019 privacy (especially compared to many of the Big Tech companies out there).\u201d They have the Ecobee SmartCamera<\/a> to keep an eye on your home as well. If you\u2019re gifting someone a smart camera, these are solid options. Just make sure they don\u2019t use Alexa.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kids’ Tech<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gift idea: iRobot Root<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why: A coding robot for kids? Yes, please! iRobot, which makes those popular Roomba\u2019s your cats are so fascinated by,<\/a> has a cool vacuum cleaner for kids six and up that helps them learn to code by programming the robot for its different functions. These get a thumbs up from our researchers. iRobot seems to be taking the act of protecting users\u2019 privacy seriously, too. Just a heads-up, though: Amazon is in the process of buying iRobot. We\u2019re still not sure what that means for privacy, but for this children\u2019s coding kit, hopefully nothing scary. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Headphones<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gift idea: Apple AirPods & AirPods Pro<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why: A superb pair of headphones has always been invaluable whether you\u2019re traveling or just sitting at home. If you\u2019d like to elevate the music or podcast experience for somebody, Apple\u2019s AirPods are a decent option. Regardless if it\u2019s AirPods, AirPods Pro or AirPods Max, Apple has a pretty good record when it comes to privacy and security, according to our researchers. You should be OK. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gaming Consoles<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gift idea: The Steam Deck<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why: This is the year to level up your gaming gifts. If you\u2019re a serious PC gamer, Valve\u2019s Steam Deck, the handheld console with nearly 30,000 games at your disposal, is a decent option. When it comes to privacy, our researchers note that while Valve isn\u2019t perfect, they aren\u2019t the worst out there. Their privacy policy is a little vague and *Privacy Not Included hasn\u2019t been able to confirm if it meets their Minimum Security Standard, but the team hasn\u2019t found any major concerns or big red flags.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Anything Amazon<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

We\u2019re kidding!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Amazon has never<\/em> had a great selection of products protecting your privacy, and somehow, things keep getting worse every year. In fact, a ton of their products landed on Mozilla\u2019s 2023 naughty list, <\/a>with many landing a warning label from our researchers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019re looking for a needle in the privacy haystack, though, their Kindle<\/a> might be the only decent option. Or, just get a Pocketbook eReader,<\/a> instead. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

**<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This holiday season, make your gifts memorable and secure. Mozilla’s *Privacy Not Included buyer\u2019s guide ensures that your tech presents not only bring joy, but also protect the privacy of your loved ones. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Happy holidays and happy gifting!<\/p>\n\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

‘Tis the season to spread joy and thoughtful gifts, but in this digital age, it’s crucial to consider the privacy and security of our loved ones. Enter Mozilla’s “*Privacy Not Included” tool \u2014 your guide to tech gifts that not only bring smiles but also ensure privacy and security.  Mozilla published this shopping companion tool […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1955,"featured_media":73843,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[461998,5],"tags":[4708,464218,11031,13985],"coauthors":[464217],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nThese tech gifts will make you feel safer (and better) about gifting this holiday season<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"This holiday tech gifts guide will not only bring joy, but protect the privacy of your loved ones this season.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/blog.mozilla.org\/en\/mozilla\/tech-gifts-holiday-guide-2023-christmas\/\" \/>\n<script 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