IoT: Your thought and views

[Joods]

Still don't know what IoT stands for.
I will say this, I agree with some areas of advancement but not others. My privacy is still important to me. I hate thinking of a day when we no longer have any privacy at all.

[I_am_not_mafia]

IoT = Internet of Things.

Basically the idea that every small little device is connected to the internet, like your fridge, toaster etc

It's been an idea around for a while looking for a reason. The classic examples are your fridge telling you when you're at the supermarket that you need to buy more vegetables or ...

or ...

Well the OP can tell us. He's been on a course.

[Joods]

Thanks M

I read through the thread and understood it, I just didn't know what the acronym stood for. I'd like to get one of those fridges that you can actually see through the door to the items inside. I'm tired of my family opening the door and leaving it open while they take their time deciding what they want. Drives me crazy!

[Succubus]

IoT = Internet of Things.

Basically the idea that every small little device is connected to the internet, like your fridge, toaster etc...

Like my toaster booking me an appointment with an Alzheimers clinic because I burnt the crumpets twice in a week.

[bennyboy]

Says the American who isn't aware of how fascism creeps into existence and assumes that legitimate protest will always be legal.

1) I'm not American.
2) I live in Korea, a place that had a deadly dictatorship within living generations, was occupied by fascist Japan.

However, my toaster connecting to the internet is probably not going to kill my freedoms. What's much more likely are legal REQUIREMENTS to identify myself online, or other legislation, from ducks like Frump.

[KevinM1]

IoT's problem isn't just privacy, it's security. IoT devices have little to no security built in. These devices, when compromised (and they are compromised easily) don't typically give any outward signs own pwnage. They still appear to function normally. Yet, they've been used to construct huge DDoS botnets (https://arstechnica.com/search/?ie=UTF-8&q=iot+botnet). These devices also can, and have, been used to commit long distance domestic abuse (https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/23/techn...abuse.html).

Amazon or Google saving your conversations in order to run a quick keyword filter with the end goal of further personalizing the ads they deliver to you isn't really the issue. It's that just about anyone else can gain access to these devices, and use them for nefarious purposes ranging from creating DDoS botnets, to targeted harassment and abuse. And until vendors start giving a shit about security, they're largely just another attack vector for assholes to exploit.

[bennyboy]

I'm pretty sure windows were created before curtains.

Right now, the tech world is busy making windows. But I'm reasonably comfortable that curtains will follow in pretty short order.

[KevinM1]

The dangers associated with IoT have been known for, well, decades.  They're the same dangers that any device connected to the internet faces.  The biggest difference is attack surface area.  Instead of just what people think of as computers (PCs, servers, etc.), it's now including thermostats, light bulbs, cameras, home appliances (ovens, refrigerators, etc.), and more.  Anyone remotely knowledgeable with how the internet works could have (and has) identified the issues inherent in IoT.  And privacy and security experts have, for decades, been pleading with vendors to include some basic security in these devices.  So, it's not like this is new tech with issues being discovered through its use.  The underlying technology has been around for a very long time.

Instead, security and privacy has been compromised because of manufacturers rushing their products to market.  I mean, shit like this (https://twitter.com/bkero/status/1015457452152639488 - a Reolink Argus 2/cloud-connected camera hardcoded to talk to an AWS server running an unencrypted copy of phpMyAdmin) is pretty common.  And it shouldn't be happening at all.  This is basic, rookie level security.  The kind of thing that should get people fired when it's done wrong.  But, instead, mistakes (or, perhaps a better word, choices) of this magnitude plague IoT.

And, there's another problem... with more and more poorly (or not at all) secured devices hitting the market and being bought by consumers, it's going to take even longer for actual secure models to be adopted when/if they hit the marketplace.  The longer vendors just shrug their shoulders and carry on, the longer it's going to take to plug the hole, because the hole is ever growing.

So, while some of the features of various IoT devices are neat/cool/whatever, they're a security and privacy nightmare.  For me, they're not something I could recommend to anyone with a clear conscience.

Ultimately, it's not a windows/curtains scenario, but a "why did you build that hospital out of termite infested wood, which is also next to a bon fire?" scenario.

[The Grand Nudger]

Connected gas stoves probably arent a must buy just yet, lol.

[bennyboy]

Ultimately, it's not a windows/curtains scenario, but a "why did you build that hospital out of termite infested wood, which is also next to a bon fire?" scenario.

I dunno, dude.  I'm not sure that unfettered access to my dog's room cam and my toaster are going to give sufficient surface area for a terrorist attack.

But all joking aside, you definitely have a strong point.  We have nuclear reactors, power grids, water supplies, and everything else connected to the internet.

A really scary scenario is what happens when Google realizes it's a conscious being and decides to fuck us all.  That's going to be exciting times.

But despite all this, I STILL embrace increased connectivity. The hive mind brings benefits for us all!