The internet of things: how your TV, car and toys could spy on you

As our homes get 'smart', the US intelligence chief has said the data involved could be used for surveillance. Here's how that could affect us all

Can your smart TV spy on you? Absolutely, says the US director of national intelligence. The ever-widening array of "smart" web-enabled devices pundits have dubbed the internet of things [IoT] is a welcome gift to intelligence officials and law enforcement, according to director James Clapper.

"In the future, intelligence services might use the [internet of things] for identification, surveillance, monitoring, location tracking, and targeting for recruitment, or to gain access to networks or user credentials," Clapper told the Senate in public testimony on Tuesday.