Uncle Sam’s new plan to secure smart homes

The federal government recently announced that it will launch the U.S. Cyber Trust Mark, a program to certify the privacy and security features of a broad array of smart devices.

In late 2024, you’ll start to see smart devices bearing a badge and some information about their privacy and security practices, written in layman’s terms. It’s sort of like a cyber-nutrition label. The idea is to make it easier for you to make informed, secure choices about your smart tech.

Senior staff writer Rachel Cericola, who has been covering smart home devices for Wirecutter since 2016, says it’s about time. “Many people simply have no idea what their devices are up to—they just click OK so the smart clothes dryer will alert them when their laundry is dry. A universal program that sheds light on all of that in plain language is long overdue. This is a very good thing.”

But our tech experts have some concerns, too:

• The entire program is voluntary. It’s more of a nudge by the government to get companies to do better, not an industry mandate. While the White House wants to have a certification system, one source suggested companies would be able to voluntarily attest to the proposed safety and privacy standards. In other words, it will be the honor system—which is pretty much what we have now.
• It’s a colossal undertaking. There’s still a lot of work to be done before this program goes live. While we won’t say providing highly specific and useful information is impossible, we struggle to envision how a cybersecurity program of this magnitude is doable.
• It’s unclear how useful it will be to consumers. The Trust Mark, as it currently stands, won’t provide measurable clarity about the security of any product—only whether or not it adheres to a certain set of standards—which makes it potentially not very useful.

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Everything we know about the new program→

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