THE ‘SMARTIFICATION’ OF EVERYTHING
It’s coming, you guys. The moment when everything you own “Knows” you. The ease of use, the interconnectivity between objects, the comfortable dip into AI. It’s all around you right now!
Alexa, play Blues from Spotify.
And it does so. Unerringly. Forever. You are living out the boom-town era of smart technology. It’s cheap and getting cheaper. It’s available on every shelf and from every electronics manufacturer. Does any of this feel fast? In 2007 we made the first iPhone phone call. 10 years later, we’re ordering pizza from a voice-activated robot. It’s because it IS fast. What’s the big deal with the Internet of Things (IoT)? I’ll tell you.
Security
The manufacturers of these devices are focused on the product working. They are focused on getting it to market today. They are focused on getting as much market share as humanly possible before the end of Trading today. It’s on the “Road map” but it’s not for a few more miles. Security is the end-user’s responsibility. And all of their Terms of Service state that.
If you’re still skeptical, ask your child, niece or nephew to adjust your Nest thermostat. They’ll show you how and text you the instructions.
So what? Who would want to adjust my home temperature? What would they gain from that?
Access
Any way in is still a way in. The average consumer makes use of 3 passwords, 2 is more common. And they all have “Linked Accounts” meaning, you’ve clicked on one of these in the last 5 years:
These are the EZPASS’s of new account creation. You don’t want to deal with signing up, creating an account, verifying your email address only to have to REMEMBER all of that, right? Just Login with Facebook, voila! Moving right along. The service you just signed up for now has a digital breadcrumb of your existence. With little time or effort, unsavory computer users can deduce your usage, patterns and eventually information you’d rather they not have. All for the sake of ease.
Access is not a privacy issue. It’s granted. It’s consented. Therefore it’s not illegal.
Moving into the future of connected services is not only a good thing, but also necessary. The point here is awareness. The information collected on your behalf will one day save lives, save resources and make time. Making sure that network traffic is secure is as important as the results they render. It all begins with understanding what you’re signing up for and the possible implications.
- What does this service need from me? HINT: Your list of contacts isn’t necessary to grant access to when registering your FitBit.
- When does location data matter? When you’re moving. GPS is natural, Groupon isn’t. These applications collect data to sell to marketers. The golden rule is, if it doesn’t make sense to you, it doesn’t make sense. Deny.
- Why does everything need my birthday information? It doesn’t. Again, marketers want to know their demographic. Deny.
- What’s a strong password? It doesn’t have the word password in it, I promise. Even with a capital P. Your passwords should be a minimum of 8 characters and should contain upper, lower case letters and a special character/number combo. And you shouldn’t use it for every service on you use on the internet (Email, Banking, Comcast, Netflix, etc…)
Your online presence should be taken as seriously as your worldly presence. Safety first and smart decisions. If you didn’t ask for something, don’t accept. The same rules apply. As technology becomes available to continue progress and make our lives less complex, it should done with caution.
Our staff of Solution Advocates are grateful to guide anyone through this decision and sourcing process. Please contact us today at 804–521–7660 or sales@codebluetechnology.com
This Blog is written by Michael Bergamo — Senior Technologist and Brand Advocate at CodeBlue Technology
