Many household goods and other devices are now equipped with the ability to communicate and exchange data with other devices and systems over the Internet or other communication networks. Should we be worried about IOT (Internet Of Things) privacy and abuse?
Smart devices can automate tasks, like adjusting your thermostat or controlling lights remotely. They can help save energy and optimize usage based on your habits. You can remotely track security events happening at home when you are away.
But here almost ends the praise. Security vulnerability shows up as devices mean more potential entry points for cyberattacks. Weak passwords or outdated firmware can leave your devices exposed.
There are also privacy concerns. Connected devices often collect data about your habits, which can be used for targeted advertising or, in some cases, sold or obligatory shared to third parties.
Relying too much on technology can be problematic if devices fail or if there are internet outages.
Concerns about nasty governments using technology to exert control are valid.
Governments can abuse IOT devices for mass surveillance, monitoring citizens’ activities and behaviors without consent. E.g. it can happen that they fine you for consuming too much electricity during a given period of time.
At certain moments you can forget charging your car because they are watching you.
It’s already happening in the U.K. In some area’s customers with a smart meter are monitored and subject to fines if they charge their battery car during dedicated periods.
This is one of the many reasons the EV industry is worldwide in a slump. Consumers stay on petrol or wait until hydrogen cars and filling stations become widely available.
Another problem is manipulation of your devices. Manufacturers can deliberately put malicious software in you devices to speed up the end life time. Apple did it a few years ago. IPhone users suffered bad working smartphones as it later turned out to be caused by a software update. After complaints Apple “repaired” the smartphone with corrected software.
And one of the latest shocking incidents happened in the United States as robot vacuum cleaners turned nationwide racist after a hack attack.
ABC messaged that owners of robotic vacuum cleaners in several US cities have reported their devices being hacked, causing the appliances to shout out obscenities.
A Minnesota lawyer named Daniel Swenson disclosed that he was watching TV when his Chinese-made Ecovacs Deebot X2 started to malfunction.
His device produced noise like a broken-up radio signal with brief snippets.
After discovering that a stranger had connected to the robot and used its remote control feature, Swenson said he dismissed it as a glitch and rebooted the vacuum cleaner.
However the reboot was not enough.
Shortly afterwards, as ABC reported, it started moving again, and this time yelled racist obscenities through the speaker, saying fu***ng n***s over and over again.
According to ABC, several similar hacking incidents have been reported in recent months across the US.
In El Paso Texas, a similar Ecovac robot was reported spewing out racial slurs until the owner unplugged it.