The makers of about nine out of 10 "smart" devices failed to disclose how long they would continue to update software on the products, potentially exposing the devices to security threats, the Federal Trade Commission said.
Staffers at the federal agency reviewed product web pages for 184 connected "smart" products and discovered that 88.6% of the product web pages did not state how long the manufacturer would offer software updates.
Such products - which track health and fitness, control lights and monitor homes and pets - depend on software or an accompanying app to connect to the internet to keep them functioning, the FTC said.
The software and the app need to be updated to "protect the device against security threats and to ensure continued connectivity," the FTC said in a report released Tuesday.
"If the manufacturer stops providing these updates, the product may lose its 'smart' functionality, become insecure, or completely cease to operate," it said.
At the same time, if the device maker doesn't disclose how long it will support the device, users are left in the dark about how long the product will last - "or how long it will work as intended or marketed," it said.
Of the 184 product web pages reviewed by FTC staffers, 163 did not note how long the device would be supported or when the support would end.
And while 21 of the pages did disclose the length of the support or list an end date for the service, the information was scattered throughout the web pages, sometimes landing in "tech specs" or "product information" sections, while in others the information was found in footnotes or in the FAQ section, the FTC found.
Some of the pages also used ambiguous language that "only imply the level of support provided," using phrases like "lifetime technical support," or "as long as your device is fully operational" or "continuous software updates."
"Manufacturers marketing a device as having certain features and then subsequently failing to provide software updates needed to maintain those features raises concerns about consumer harm resulting from deceptive practices," the report concluded.
"The failure to provide software updates or the failure to disclose the duration of software support raises concerns about harm consumers cannot avoid," the FTC added, noting it could be a violation of federal law.
