The Downside of IoT
Internet of Things, in short IoT, which is something we are hearing a lot in recent times. It is considered as a new predominant technology for this advanced world. Entrepreneurs, techies, and numerous others are coming up with innovative thoughts utilizing IoT, and few executions are so astonishing that it was difficult for us to even imagine about before the invention of IoT. But these days, IoT is being utilized in daily lives. For example, Touch-Based Home Automation System that allows the users to control home appliances anywhere from the world. Then comes something indeed more interesting, Facial Recognition Door with Raspberry PI. Don’t you find it refreshing to stand in front of the door, and it gets opened by recognizing your face? If we talk around these inventive thoughts which are implemented, the conversation goes on and on. This innovation can impact the lifestyle of people from the way they react to the way they behave. From the air conditioners that you can control with your smartphone to smart cars providing the shortest route or your smartwatch, which is following your everyday activities. IoT is a giant network with connected devices.
We are continually encompassed by a vast number of associated web gadgets throughout every day, whether we’re at home, at work, or all over the place. Humans are particularly eager for the network, and with endless devices hitting available every week, it is currently an essential that each new gadget has smart abilities. Web network has been brought into varying social statuses. For pretty much every device we carry with us or each thing of apparel we wear, there exists or will soon live, an IoT version flawlessly associated with a system of different gadgets.
Innovation usually comes with both pros and cons. It is necessary to take advantage of the pros from the technology and is also very important to consider the disadvantages and try to reduce its impact, either by integrating it with different technology or by adopting specific ways. Not surprisingly, IoT also has a significant drawback, “security”.
The Internet of Things (IoT) is the title given to depict the innovation that interfacing standard objects and gadgets to the net to supply extra information or functionality. But within the race to form that following “it” item that no one can live without, manufacturers and users are creating dangerous side effects. We are feeding our phones, computers, and smart devices like Amazon’s Alexa, with a lot of personal data every day, which is then mainly distributed beyond our control and reach. For example, your mobile phone has inherent capabilities to track information about your location, your biological identity, including your retina and facial ID. People often agree to the Terms and Conditions without even reading them and not considering how this information can be used beyond those features of the app, which is supposed to be. As the security expert, Mikko Hyppönen famously put it: “The biggest lie on the internet is ’‘I have read and agree to the terms and conditions.’” which they haven’t.
The issue with the mass harvesting of data by corporations is that it is most often stored on centralized servers, leaving the enormous potential for hacking and exposing to higher risks about the security and privacy of the information. All this information is mostly owned and controlled by global corporations and stored in their data centers. The dangers of centralized data storage were highlighted by the enormous Experian data leak in December 2017, which exposed the data of approximately 123 million American households.
Moreover, the data were further used to build our consumer profiles, which contributes great benefits to these companies. As a result, the companies are furious in protecting the data, which contradicts the goals of the IoT-enabled smart society, where data flows freely.
Centrally administered networks are preventing the discovery of data, halting society by fully optimizing everyone’s data. This centralized approach is resulting in a situation where the data Cis trapped in non-interoperable silos. Though the individual companies that are controlling these data silos are profiting from this situation at present, an initiative like interconnected smart cities isn’t going to get off the ground with such foundations.
22/10/2019
