How The Internet of Things Stole (And Is Stealing) Our Privacy

Are We Willingly Creating A Dystopian Reality?

Photo by BENCE BOROS on Unsplash

There are currently over 22 billion devices connected to the internet. That’s around 3 devices for every person on the planet. Each of these devices is taking in information about the world around it.

People take for granted that their smart speaker is constantly recording and analyzing noise to learn about your environment, your smart TV is listening to you even when it’s turned off, and your phone is tracking your every move. I think the concept is so foreign that it doesn’t strike people as a cause for concern.

Maybe this is irrational, but I think about it like its a person who is tracking me and not a digital device. Wouldn’t it be weird if someone listened to all of my conversations…in my home?

Your Smart Home Devices Likely Know More Than You Think

Photo by Rahul Chakraborty on Unsplash

When combined with artificial intelligence and machine learning, your smart home device may be able to gather very specific information about your home. For example, Google or Amazon may use sound to determine the dimensions of the room around the speaker.

If you’re unaware that your phone, or your smart TV, or your children’s internet-connected toys could be monitoring your actions even when you think the devices are off or disabled, you could be sharing an uncomfortable amount of personal data.

Companies Need To Future-Proof Their Security

The companies behind IoT devices need to consider that their devices may still be online in five or ten years from now. While their encryption or security standards may apply today, there needs to be a plan for what happens when those measures no longer work.

According to ZDNet, the most commonly attacked IoT devices are security cameras. People want to save money, so they decide to buy cheaper camera options. The problem is not the quality of the devices themselves, but cheaper devices have less reliable security and data protection.

We Have Willingly Created Surveillance Networks

IoT devices create the largest surveillance network in the world and people are more than willing to bring these devices into their homes. People spend their own money on smart speakers and other internet-connected items to have their behavior tracked and analyzed by businesses.

While the companies that make smart speakers and virtual assistants are separate from the government, law enforcement agencies can still approach them with subpoenas and warrants for certain data.

And this is where the dystopian novel begins…