CIA loves Internet of things… for spying on you

CIA director David Petraeus (seen here playing Wii golf) is really excited about the idea behind the Internet of things. The thing is most excited about isn’t his refrigerator being able to order milk, but the effect that connected appliances and devices will have on “clandestine tradecraft.” In other words, he’s excited about being able to use these devices to spy on people.

Petraeus says that the treasure trove of data connected appliances and devices will be able to gather on a “person of interest” will make it much easier to see what potential terrorists and others are doing inside home and to intercept communications. He also noted that connected household devices with the potential to be turned in the spy tools “change our notions of secrecy.” While the CIA has numerous regulations and laws preventing it from spying on American citizens, it’s apparently a much grayer area when it comes to collecting geolocation data that many devices broadcast.

Most people know that smartphones and other devices have been discovered to store and transmit data on the location of the user, often without the user’s knowledge. This makes it easier for the passive collection of the data if the government wants to track a person. Interestingly, it appears that Facebook’s Timeline has helped the CIA produce a back history for spies. What do you think of the potential for the Internet of things to make spying on you easier?

[via Wired]