Nest's Fadell backtracks on data privacy, will be transparent about future changes
Nest CEO Tony Fadell on Monday said no changes to his company's privacy policies are planned "at this point," a qualification of a previous statement that promised collected user data would stay out of the hands of Google, which recently acquired Nest for $3.2 billion.
In an interview with CNNMoney's Laurie Segall at the Digital-Life-Design conference, Fadell changed his tune as to the application of user data collected by Nest's Learning Thermostat and Protect smoke/carbon monoxide detector devices.
"At this point there are no changes," Fadell said. "The data that we collect is all about our products and improving them. If there are any changes whatsoever, we will be sure to be transparent about it, number one, and number two for you to opt into it.
When Google announced the purchase of Nest last week, the former Apple executive said all data would be plied exclusively for in-house purposes. Now it appears sharing data with the Internet search giant is no longer out of the realm of possibility.
Nest's products "learn" from monitoring user habits like temperature settings and adapt accordingly to save energy and automate in-home comfort. User data can be interchanged between products and uploaded to Nest for use in future product designs and usability enhancements. The connected nature of Nest's devices sparked concern about what Google -- which heavily relies on such data in its various businesses, like targeted ad serving -- would do with the information.
Asked why he chose to sell Nest to Google, Fadell said it was as much a personal move as it was corporate.
"I've met with many companies and I've met with many individuals all over the world -- not just with Nest but with Apple -- and when I met with [Google CEO Larry page] and the management team there, my brain started ... typically you go in the meeting and you go 'Okay I'm going to tell Larry what we do and I'm going to teach a lot of people about what we do,'" Fadell said. "When I was with them, the amount of things that I learned from them personally in the same meetings that they learned from me personally, the two-way interchange, for me intellectual happiness and stimulation of being able to go back and forth and really create a new world together in a different way than either of us imagined."
Fadell went on to say the Google-Nest partnership is like a "hand-in-glove fit." With Google's vast resources, Nest gets the scalability it needs to refine and push out future products. Google, on the other hand, has not yet revealed exactly what it plans to do with Nest. For now at least, the smart home company will run on its own in a capacity somewhere between YouTube and Motorola, Google said.
"All I can say is we were finishing each other's sentences and the visions that we had were just so large and so great. And they weren't scared by them," Fadell said. "We were both getting exhilarated by what could change and how things could change and that we could have the ability together to change those things."
In an interview with CNNMoney's Laurie Segall at the Digital-Life-Design conference, Fadell changed his tune as to the application of user data collected by Nest's Learning Thermostat and Protect smoke/carbon monoxide detector devices.
"At this point there are no changes," Fadell said. "The data that we collect is all about our products and improving them. If there are any changes whatsoever, we will be sure to be transparent about it, number one, and number two for you to opt into it.
When Google announced the purchase of Nest last week, the former Apple executive said all data would be plied exclusively for in-house purposes. Now it appears sharing data with the Internet search giant is no longer out of the realm of possibility.
Nest's products "learn" from monitoring user habits like temperature settings and adapt accordingly to save energy and automate in-home comfort. User data can be interchanged between products and uploaded to Nest for use in future product designs and usability enhancements. The connected nature of Nest's devices sparked concern about what Google -- which heavily relies on such data in its various businesses, like targeted ad serving -- would do with the information.
Asked why he chose to sell Nest to Google, Fadell said it was as much a personal move as it was corporate.
"I've met with many companies and I've met with many individuals all over the world -- not just with Nest but with Apple -- and when I met with [Google CEO Larry page] and the management team there, my brain started ... typically you go in the meeting and you go 'Okay I'm going to tell Larry what we do and I'm going to teach a lot of people about what we do,'" Fadell said. "When I was with them, the amount of things that I learned from them personally in the same meetings that they learned from me personally, the two-way interchange, for me intellectual happiness and stimulation of being able to go back and forth and really create a new world together in a different way than either of us imagined."
Fadell went on to say the Google-Nest partnership is like a "hand-in-glove fit." With Google's vast resources, Nest gets the scalability it needs to refine and push out future products. Google, on the other hand, has not yet revealed exactly what it plans to do with Nest. For now at least, the smart home company will run on its own in a capacity somewhere between YouTube and Motorola, Google said.
"All I can say is we were finishing each other's sentences and the visions that we had were just so large and so great. And they weren't scared by them," Fadell said. "We were both getting exhilarated by what could change and how things could change and that we could have the ability together to change those things."
Comments
I think any glove would fit any hand for $3.2 billion.
So THAT’S why OJ got off! They only offered him $3.1 billion!
"unfriended"
What's that old saying about how to tell if a Politician is lying.......
"If the glove doesn't fit, you can spy like Schmidt."
"At this point there are no changes," Fadell said. "The data that we collect is all about our products and improving them. If there are any changes whatsoever, we will be sure to be transparent about it, number one, and number two for you to opt into it.
And, this is number three for Fadell, Larry, Sergey and Eric
to opt into!
Thanks for illustrating how ridiculous fanboys (and/or fangirls)can be. :rolleyes:
Thanks for illustrating how ridiculous fanboys (and/or fangirls)can be.
Oh yeah, only a ridiculous fanboy would want any privacy, amirite, comrade!
Did you grow up in east germany, caliminius?
Thanks for illustrating how ridiculous fanboys (and/or fangirls)can be.
Gee, what possible reason could "fanboys" have to worry about Google's handling of private data?
WAR IS PEACE.
FREEDOM IS SLAVERY.
IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH.
DON’T BE EVIL.
The man knew this day would come .... http://blog.spark.io/2014/01/17/open-source-thermostat/
So, he thought WTH ... let's sell our soul to morons of google!
Please, he didn't say anything that amounts to backtracking except to the minds of Google hating Apple fanatics. No company exec is going to claim that there won't be changes to company policies, whether it be data privacy or otherwise. But it is funny to see how quickly this site is trying to turn Nest into the "enemy."
I just don't trust Google. I would have been happier if ANYBODY else bought them. Google is creepy.
Any statement from a CEO of a just-purchased company has to be taken with a grain of salt. He will do whatever Google tells him to do in the future. I'd hate to be working for one of those small companies that gets gobbled up by a much larger one like Google. bye bye to small teams, generous perks in the office, liberal HR policies, and whatnot. Instead you become just one cog in Google's vast empire, subject to their policies for workplace, pay, vacations, etc.
So how does one disconnect a Nest from the internet .... .? Oh, I know, change the password for your router
Like everything else in life .... the answer is: Un-google Yourself!
FWIW, below is an useless advice for Nest. Too late for them.
http://www.slashgear.com/the-secret-to-nests-future-success-be-as-un-google-as-possible-19313711/