America’s increasingly connected homes will soon be even more plugged in as electronic holiday gifts — smart speakers, TVs, thermostats, video doorbells, even smart pet feeders and litter boxes — are installed.

Because many of these Internet of Things (IOT) devices have microphones and cameras that are always online, they’re an inviting target for hackers who can use them to spy on us.

This increasing connectivity also results in a growing loss of privacy, as these smart devices collect and share data with the manufacturer and others. It’s “a goldmine of data about how they’re being used — and increasingly who is using them,” digital security expert Adam Levin wrote in a recent article for Inc.

And that tradeoff is not always apparent or clearly understood by the person living with the device.

“It's incumbent upon consumers to recognize just how many different kinds of sensors they are bringing into their homes — whether it's microphones, video cameras or just devices that are capturing all sorts of data about them and their guests,” said Maurice Turner, deputy director of the Center for Democracy & Technology. “So, it's not just about one video doorbell or one Internet-connected TV; it's thinking about all of those devices working in concert. What information is being collected and who has access to either keep it, or more importantly, share it?”

Smart devices need to gather certain types of data to work properly and improve their performance. But in many cases, privacy experts argue, too much information is being collected and shared with third-party companies.

“We know there's a lot of money being made by collecting and packaging our data,” said Ashley Boyd, vice president for advocacy and engagement at the Mozilla Foundation. "Our position is: Let consumers opt in to that kind of data collection, rather than opt out. Our concern lies in the lack of transparency or even basic information about the data that's being collected.”

The Consumer Technology Association (CTA) acknowledges the growing concern about privacy and says steps are being taken to make people feel safe and comfortable using connected devices.

“The industry is committed to strong consumer data privacy protections and transparency,” said Mike Bergman, CTA’s vice president of technology and standards. “These devices do provide a lot of benefits, but we understand that consumers need to trust the products they're bringing into their homes.”