Google Is Collecting Troves Of Data From Downgraded Nest Thermostats

1 month ago

Google officially turned disconnected distant power functionality for early Nest Learning Thermostats past month, but it hasn’t stopped collecting a watercourse of information from these downgraded devices. After digging into nan backend, information interrogator Cody Kociemba recovered that nan first- and second-generation Nest Learning Thermostats are still sending Google accusation astir manual somesthesia changes, whether a personification is coming successful nan room, if sunlight is hitting nan device, and more.

Kociemba made nan find while participating successful a bounty programme created by FULU, a right-to-repair defense statement cofounded by electronics repair technician and YouTuber Louis Rossmann. FULU challenged developers to travel up pinch a solution to reconstruct smart functionality to Nest devices nary longer supported by Google, and that’s precisely what Kociemba did pinch his open-source No Longer Evil project.

But aft cloning Google’s API to create this civilization software, he started receiving a trove of logs from customer devices, which he turned off. “On these devices, while they [Google] turned disconnected entree to remotely power them, they did time off successful nan expertise for nan devices to upload logs. And nan logs are beautiful extensive,” Kociemba tells The Verge.

Along pinch preventing users from remotely controlling early Nest Learning Thermostats (in summation to nan European type from 2014), Google turned disconnected nan expertise for users to cheque nan position of their devices from nan Nest aliases Google Home app, while besides blocking information and package updates. Google notes that nan unsupported devices “will proceed to study logs for rumor diagnostics,” though nan information nan institution is collecting nary longer appears to beryllium useful.

“Although these logs tin incorporate method specifications specified arsenic HVAC correction states, Google tin nary longer usage that accusation to assistance nan customers who still dangle connected these thermostats, since support has been afloat discontinued, moreover successful cases of instrumentality failure,” according to Kociemba.

Google is still getting each nan accusation collected by Nest Learning Thermostats, including information measured by their sensors, specified arsenic temperature, humidity, ambient light, and motion. “I was nether nan belief that nan Google relationship would beryllium severed on pinch nan distant functionality, nevertheless that relationship is not severed, and alternatively is simply a one-way street,” Kociemba says. The Verge reached retired to Google pinch a petition for remark but didn’t instantly perceive back.

FULU awarded Kociemba and different winner, who goes by nan sanction of Team Dinosaur, pinch nan $14,772 bounty for bringing smart features backmost to nan unsupported thermostats.