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Consumer Reports creating new digital safety standard

Posted at 5:33 PM, Mar 06, 2017
and last updated 2017-03-06 18:37:22-05

Consumer Reports is known for evaluating products and services and now they are setting a new standard.

As devices become smarter, consumers could be putting their privacy at risk.

Consumer Reports will create a new standard that is meant to safeguard consumers’ security and privacy.

This is for digital products, software, and mobile apps.

Maria Rerecich, who directs electronics testing at Consumer Reports, explained, "This standard is very flexible and can be used for many different products. It can be used for any kind of product that has software connected with it."

Those type of products range from baby monitors to smart cars.

Consumer Reports will be pushing for items that connect to the internet to require customers to set up a username and password.

The organization also found many of these smart products could be collecting data on consumers and that's something Consumer Reports wants customers to be informed about and have control over.

"We see the standard as hopefully holding manufactures to what they should do to handle consumers data and to take better care of it."

Consumer Reports is actively looking for your feedback.

You can contact them at: http://www.consumerreports.org/customer-care/