, 9 March 2021

Eufy’s business model is mostly based around selling devices, not data

Eufy is a company that does a bunch of different smart devices. They’ve got household appliances like robovacs, security devices like video doorbells, and — in my house — they have a smart scale. 

The EufyLife smart scale works by using something called “bioelectrical impedance,” which sends a very slight electrical current up through your legs. That current can tell the difference between bone density, body fat, visceral fat, and a bunch of other biometrics, so you get more than just your weight when you step on the scale.

Kind of freaky, right? It can “see” inside my body! But that also made me wonder: What does it do with that info? So for this week’s What Does The Internet Know About Me?, I’m taking a look at the EufyLife smart scale and app. 

What does EufyLife track?

• First name
• Email
• Age
• Height
• Weight
• BMI
• Body fat percentage
• Water
• Muscle mass
• Bone mass
• BMR
• Visceral fat
• Lean body mass
• Body fat mass
• Bone mass
• Muscle mass
• Trends over time
• Weight history
• Third party apps (if you connect them)

They also collect some technological information, including:

• Device properties
• Device Operations
• Device Signals: Bluetooth signal and surrounding Wi-Fi access points, beacons, and cell towers.
• Information from device settings
• Device Usage
• Networks and connections
• Web Beacons
• Cookies

What does EufyLife do with my data?

From everything I can gather, EufyLife seems to not really do anything with my data! And that’s awesome because, like I pointed out, it’s very personal stuff they’re collecting. I really would prefer not to be served ads based on my weight, for example!

There are no advertisements in the app, so I don’t need to be concerned about being served ads there. Because there are trackers on the site, I can assume some of that is used for ad tracking and this part of the privacy policy confirms that: “We may show you advertisements for Eufy products and products with third-party functions based on the products you currently have installed, accessed, used, and purchased.”

But, for the most part, it seems like Eufy’s business model is mostly based around selling devices, not data.

A couple of quick notes for our EU Eufy users: If you live in the EU, the company does want you to know that some of your data might be stored on servers in the United States and therefore isn’t subject to the same protections that it might be in Europe. But, like I’ve noted, they seem to be pretty good about what they collect and what they do with it.

Finally, Eufy makes it really easy to delete your account and withdraw your consent for the company to use your information. They even note in their Privacy Policy that removing the app without going through the Delete My Account process might lead to them keeping user information longer. 

Is EufyLife worth it?

I’m going with a resounding, “yes!” on this one. This installment of What Does the Internet Know About Me? is the shortest yet because, frankly, there just isn’t much here to analyze. It would appear that Eufy uses its apps simply to supplement its physical products, not as data-harvesting machines. Great job, Eufy. I’m impressed.