Yesterday, in an interview at the Digital-Life-Design conference in Munich, Nest CEO Tony Fadell attempted to allay concerns over potential privacy issues related to Google’s recent $3.2 billion purchase of Nest.
Asked how Google, a company that thrives on data collection, might make use of information collected from Nest’s range of smart thermostat and alarm products, Fadell said that “at this point there are no changes . . . the data we collect is about our products and improving them.” If there are ever any changes, he continued, “we will be sure to be transparent about it and for you to opt into it. The data is to stay within Nest’s world of improving its products.”
Fadell’s response appears to hit all of the right notes, but the obvious concern is that, over time, the boundary between Nest and Google"s world of products will become less clear.
The CEO’s description of both companies visions of the future also suggests that such privacy changes are not a matter of if, but when.
Describing the experience of meeting and working with Larry Page and his management team, Fadell said that “the visions that we had were so large and so great and they weren"t scared by them. We were both getting exhilarated by what could change and how things could change." The CEOs are clearly not scared. Now, Fadell only has to convince everyone else.
See the source link for the full interview.
Source: DLD Conference via TNW | image via DLD Conference