Data Security & Privacy at GE Appliances

Fact Sheet: Data Security & Privacy at GE Appliances 

GE Appliances, a Haier company, is trusted by millions of American families who use our innovative and high-quality products in their homes every day. The company was named the 2026 Smart Appliance Company of the Year, marking the ninth consecutive year GE Appliances earned this prestigious honor. The trust of our consumers and award-winning product suite reflects the company’s continued leadership in connected appliance innovation.  

Protecting consumer data is central to how we design, build, and support our connected products. GE Appliances is headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky and led by a U.S.-based management team. GE Appliances is owned by Haier Smart Home, a Chinese corporation. GE Appliances conducts its operations under U.S. law and maintains robust privacy and cybersecurity controls designed to protect consumer information and the integrity of our connected products and systems. Access to consumer personal data is governed through the company’s U.S.-based privacy and cybersecurity programs and supported by legal, organizational, and technical safeguards. GE Appliances does not share consumer personal data with its parent company or with anyone in China.

“American families trust our products in their homes, and we take that responsibility seriously. We operate under U.S. law, and protecting consumers’ data is non-negotiable.” -- Kevin Nolan, CEO of GE Appliances. 

GE Appliances has established policies and technical controls designed to prohibit and prevent transfer of or access to consumer personal data by anyone in China. These include encryption, role-based access controls and least-privilege access, continuous monitoring and logging, and regular audits. 
 
We prioritize privacy at every stage of the product life cycle. GE Appliances’ privacy principles include transparency, control, security, lawfulness and fairness, and privacy by design. These principles guide how we develop, build, deploy, and support our connected products and services. GE Appliances consistently evaluates the security of its connected products through penetration testing, vulnerability assessments, and other security reviews designed to identify and prevent potential vulnerabilities at all stages, including product design, production, and post-sale when the appliance is in the consumer’s home. We provide consumers with regular firmware updates and support for the GE Appliances software and applications, including for security enhancements. 

We seek external validation and engage directly with the cybersecurity research community. GE Appliances was the first appliance manufacturer to obtain a third-party UL IoT Security Rating in 2020 and continues to maintain a Gold rating. We work with independent security researchers to identify opportunities to strengthen product security. We also maintain a public Vulnerability Disclosure Program for researchers to report potential security vulnerabilities. We review reported issues, investigate them promptly, and work to remediate validated vulnerabilities to continually strengthen the security of our connected products and services. 

GE Appliances also works to ensure consumers know their privacy rights and give them agency over their data. The company’s Privacy Center provides links to product- and service-specific privacy statements, including the SmartHQ Privacy Statement for connected appliances, that explain what data is collected from consumers, how it is used, why it is used, and how consumers can manage privacy preferences and exercise privacy rights. Consumers can also adjust privacy choices, including communications preferences, cookie settings, marketing opt-outs and other applicable privacy rights. 
 

At-a-Glance: 

  • Headquarters: Louisville, Kentucky 

  • Leadership: U.S.-based management team with decades of experience and history with the business 

  • Legal framework: Operates under U.S. law 

  • Data protection framework: Privacy by Design principles supported by legal, organizational, and technical safeguards  

  • Consumer data access: Consumer personal data is not transferred to or accessible in China or other countries of concern 

  • Product security validation: First appliance manufacturer to obtain a third-party UL IoT Security Rating 

  • UL rating level: Gold 

  • Security testing: Regular security testing, including penetration testing and other assessments to identify potential security vulnerabilities on connected products