Ah Smart Devices… where would a list such as this be without smart devices?
Ever since The Jetsons, i’ve been excitedly awaiting this type of technology to come into reality. While some movies (and books) have conceptualized the idea for years, it took until 1966 for the first smart home device to be created, the Echo IV, and while it was a revolutionary idea, it did have some drawbacks, notably being that it took up almost a whole room and weighed 800lb.
Today’s smart devices are a far leap ahead of of the Echo IV and do not require a central device to process all their information. Smart Devices are now capable of completely processing everything internally, though they still need to be on your own home network to function.
With these new innovations we have not yet invented a Food-O-Matic (Unfortunately), but we do have other helpful devices. Here ‘s a (short) list of devices just from one manufacturer (Ring):
That’s quite a lot of smart devices to put into your home, and while having smart devices certainly makes (some) parts of your home easier to manage, There is compelling evidence that they are not completely worry free to use.
So what to worry about, exactly?
Smart home devices store your data in the cloud.
Smart devices can store your data and process it remotely in the cloud if they are connected to the internet. On some smart devices, it’s a requirement for the network to be online just to access some of their features.
With so many devices located in so many positions around your home, it’s possible for smart device companies to determine your location in the house, as well as your routine for when you are home. If that isn’t a privacy concern then I don’t know what is.
These devices are taking and selling our data without our permission. The data gathering features are usually built in, but in some devices they are optional, but disabled by default (opt-out). One such feature is on the Ring Doorbell Camera. The camera notoriously has privacy issues, the most famous of which is Ring automatically sending your camera data to police. While Ring has stated that you can just deny them the footage or opt out of the feature, police can still get your footage anyway. Some of these smart devices are sending data to as much as 11 unnecessary locations.
All-in-all I would probably say that smart devices are definitely a cause for concern, but not alarm – yet.
For a more fun but still scarily accurate prediction at today’s technology, check this video from Microsoft in 1999.