As technology grows and evolves, we find ourselves relying on it in nearly every area of our lives, from smart home innovation to the testing of autonomous vehicles. It comes as no surprise that tech has also found its place in the pet industry! Pet cameras, automatic feeders, and GPS tracking devices can all help us to give our pets the best possible lifestyle. But at what cost? What are the potential risks?These questions are being raised in light of new findings from computer scientists at Newcastle University and Royal Holloway, University of London. Their study revealed that several popular pet tech apps and devices might be putting your privacy and safety at risk.The study involved a detailed analysis of 40 popular Android apps in the pet space. This includes not only apps associated with products like wearable pet monitoring devices and smart feeders but also apps designed to track and record pet health information and veterinary records. They investigated many safety-related aspects of these apps, including what information they tracked and stored, how this information is protected, and how vulnerable the apps are to hackers and other cyber threats. The findings were surprising.“Pet tech such as smart collars and GPS trackers for your cat or dog is a rapidly growing industry, and it brings with it new security, privacy, and safety risks to the pet owners. While owners might use these apps for peace of mind about the health of their dog or where their cat is, they may not be happy to find out about the risks the apps hold for their own cybersecurity,” explained Scott Harper, Newcastle Ph.D. student and lead author of the study.“We would urge anyone using these apps to take the time to ensure they are using a unique password, check the settings and ensure that they consider how much data they are sharing or willing to share.”