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The free tool below runs entirely in this browser — no account, nothing stored or transmitted. Redact anything you would not want kept before you type it.
Open the companion tool →Why home devices accumulate quietly
Each device's default is set for the vendor's data needs, not yours. Firmware updates can restore defaults, which is why an inventory with a review date works better than a one-time click.
A written inventory with a review date is the only version of this that survives a firmware update, because the settings themselves often do not.
The protocol
- List every voice- or camera-enabled device in the home and who set it up.
- For each, find the current retention and training settings and write them down.
- Turn off what you do not need, including voice-history saving and personalisation.
- Check whether guests, children, or a caregiver use the device and what they would expect.
- Set a review date and re-check after any firmware update.
What the tool does
Build a home-device retention map It runs locally in this browser and sends nothing.
Limit first: This tool helps you document what you asked for and what you were told; it cannot inspect a company's systems, enforce a deletion, or guarantee a response.
Open the companion tool →Cost and free path
Cost: Free: one complete run in this browser, no account. Optional $4 one-time unlock allows unlimited runs of this tool on this browser. The free path and safety guidance never require payment.
Free path, in order (no cost):
- FTC privacy and data-security guidance for the complaint route
- The device vendor's privacy request channel (in writing)
- IdentityTheft.gov if account or device access was misused
What this cannot do: It cannot decide the outcome for you.
Sources checked 2026-10-03 · source bank reviewed against the live pages listed in metadata.
One human next step
If a device's settings do not match its disclosures, complain to the FTC and the state attorney general; if you find an unauthorised recording, that is a legal matter to discuss with a lawyer.
Research log and safety checks
AI-assist path: not used for a verdict. This builder organises the reader's own documents and names an independent source; it does not infer authenticity, eligibility, or legal rights. §6.9/§6.10/§6.11 disclosed in the batch report; §6.12 status line carried in metadata as `status_line`.
§0.5 protection result: category is data-privacy-exposure; crisis-adjacent: no; fear/urgency/scarcity toolkit used: no. The protective function is free and the paid feature is convenience only.