Keep Your Internet Off My Things
We are not ready for the Internet of Things. Not even close.
This is my toaster.
It is not connected to the Internet.
I own it.
I can sell it.
If it breaks, I can fix it or reuse the parts.
It works when the network is down.
It was not released as a beta version.
It does not have any software bugs.
I never have to update the firmware.
It was not designed to become obsolete.
I am not locked in to this brand of toaster.
I have no ongoing business relationship with the manufacturer.
They can’t shut it down, or limit its performance.
If they go out of business, my toaster will keep working.
I don’t have a password on their web site.
Their web site has never been hacked, revealing my personal information.
They don’t call me or send me email.
I don’t have to deal with their customer support.
I didn’t sign a license agreement without reading it.
They’ve never updated their privacy policies.
They don’t collect data about my toast-making behavior.
They don’t sell my data to companies that make bread, jam, or health insurance.
They don’t record my conversations. Or my children’s.
I will never read a news story about the company misusing the data they collect.
My toaster does not show me ads.
I paid for it, and I am not the product.
This is my toaster.
This article was prompted by The Economist: “Chips with everything: How the world will change as computers spread into everyday objects”
For more about toasters, I recommend Thomas Thwaites’ excellent book, The Toaster Project (affiliate link).
