The Internet of Things (IoT) is the connection of devices to the internet and to each other. These connected devices promise to bring benefit to consumers, businesses and infrastructure. The IoT enables smart-homes, appliances, and connected automobiles to function more efficiently and with minimal human interaction. The advantages of this are apparent but the less apparent aspect of the IoTs is the likely scenario where our government or others can use our connected devices to manipulate our environment and spy on us.
James Clapper, the current Director of U.S. National Intelligence recently revealed a frightening look into the possible future of domestic surveillance. Director Clapper testified before the Senate Armed Services Committee saying that “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.”
In Citizen Four , the documentary about Edward Snowden we found out that simple devices like VOIP phones in hotel rooms can be hacked to turn on the microphone. Pretty much anything connected to the internet with a computer in it can be hacked if proper defenses are not put in place and sometimes even with firewalls and defenses. This is just the tip of the ice-berg as other reports show that “microphones in Samsung televisions were ‘always on’ so as to receive any audio that it could interpret as an instruction.
These revelations have certainly made me rethink bringing my home into the IoTs future. I consider myself an early adopter of technology but find that staying low-fi for a while may be beneficial until we get some of the kinks worked out in IoT technology. After watching many different interviews, documentaries and films about the NSA and Ed Snowden I think each of us needs to be more critical of what information we make readily available to others and we can pretty much assume that any connected device will at some point in the future will be used for nefarious purposes. Be aware.
The Guardian – February 9, 2016
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2016/feb/09/internet-of-things-smart-home-devices-government-surveillance-james-clapper
C-Span Video
http://www.c-span.org/video/?404436-1/james-clapper-testimony-global-threats
Not sure I can add more than the 475 comments on this article, other than to say why trust James Clapper, the head of the NSA, who lied to Congress that the NSA was not engaged in domestic surveillance. Not sure I can believe anything he says... just cuz he says it. Makes me wonder why he says anything and it gets reported as truth. Sounds like other politicians who can say anything without so much as a peep from most media. :)
ReplyDeleteI liked the article and your posts about it, though, especially the example about Samsung and how they know what we watch on TV. Just consider the source is all.