Explanation#

So you came here from the Google (or advanced Apple) setup guide and wonder why in the hell you should share your e-mail address with me. And that is a fair question. But actually, you don’t have to. If you choose the Home Assistant, Ubuntu, macOS, or basic Apple option (no control over the Internet), you don’t have to share anything about yourself with me.

But if you want to use the Google ecosystem, here is the explanation: Most ecosystems need a special device, usually called a “hub,” to support Matter. In the Google ecosystem, a Google Nest Hub (2nd gen), Google Nest Hub Max, or Google WiFi Pro is needed, as of today. In the case of Home Assistant, the “hub” is the Home Assistant server. In the Apple ecosystem, if you want to remotely control your devices, you need an Apple TV 4K (latest generation) (with Ethernet and Thread support) or an Apple HomePod (latest generation).

The role of this “hub” is to be the brain of your local home IoT system, controlling access rights, cryptography keys, cloud accessibility, etc. And in order to be able to pair the Raspi LED with your device, you have to be able to “control” this hub. In the Google (and advanced Apple) use case, this means I have to invite you into my “home”, and that way, you can use the “hub” to onboard/pair new devices. And the only way I can invite you into my “home” is if you share your e-mail address with me.

Okay, but what will you do with the e-mail addresses???#

If you are still with me and wonder what I will do with the email addresses shared with me, I can pinky promise to delete all of them. I will not use your email for anything else, just to invite you into my “home.” After DEF CON, I will delete all traces of your email address.

Okay, but why should anyone trust a random guy at a hacker conference?#

Well, you should not, but the best I can do is let you check all my contacts at https://linktr.ee/zh4ck and publicly shame me if I do anything bad with your email address.