What your smart devices know (and share) about you

[David Baxter PhD]

What your smart devices know (and share) about you | TED Talk
by Kashmir Hill and Surya Mattu, TED Talks
April 2018

Once your "smart" appliances can talk to you, who else are they talking to? Kashmir Hill and Surya Mattu wanted to find out - so they outfitted Hill's apartment with 18 different internet-connected devices and built a special router to track how often the devices contacted their servers and see what they were reporting back. The results were surprising - and more than a little bit creepy. Learn more about what the data from your smart devices is telling companies about your sleep schedule, TV binges and even your tooth-brushing habits - and how tech companies could use it to target and profile you.

 

[GaryQ]

If I didn't need a cell phone and Internet I think I would be totally disconnecting from the world now. And a smart TV forget it!
With companies adding more and more back doors for personal data acquisition (where you been, what you bought, what you searched (and on and on) not to mention the "denial of existence" of back doors forced by government use etc.. it also opens the door for malicious use and exploits (no I don't wear a tin foil hat)

I can't keep track of all the Windows, Apple, Android, router and Internet of things exploits popping up at a faster rate than technology itself has evolved. With all our money being digital I really feel safe with my virtual money in a bank...

Long gone are the days when the only piracy activity was cracking software and ripping DVD encryption. Malwarebytes regularly pops up blocking a malicious website redirect or port scanning attempts. Abd when internet traffic coming in and out of your computer was because you were doing something not some company or software or hacker scanning and exploiting your devices.

Just one example from my Tech news mailing list today:

Kaspersky Lab detects 42 million attacks on smartphones​

 

[David Baxter PhD]

I think it's worth being aware of these issues but I also think many people are being alarmist about them to make headlines and sell books.

And let's face it: If you're worried, don't use all these smart home gadgets and IoT gadgets. I don't have any of them and I can't for the life of me understand what they could possibly bring that would enhance my life.

It has more to do, I think, with people thinking they have to have the latest thing. I've never lined up for the latest iPhone or Samsung and I never will. In fact, economically, it makes a lot more sense to buy last years model - just as with cars.

 

[GaryQ]

I’m the same.my iPhone 5s I bought last year used.
and nothing connected. Most PC I built using high end one generation back component. But today it’s different last years stuff is almost as expensive as the latest stuff and barely any difference in processing power from 2009 to 2017. My I7-3770k is good enough for me and I’ve had it since 2012. Mind you getting SSD drives made it go from fast to blazing fast

 

[Daniel E.]

I do like the Google Home device for verbally keeping track of my shopping list, using voice commands for Youtube on my TV (via Chromecast), getting the weather forecast, etc. I can do all that on my Android phone with Google Assistant, but Google Home seems more hands free when I am doing chores.

I also like verbally asking Google questions like "Can dogs eat garlic?"

In the self-help category, I can ask Google Home/Assistant to "play video of Marsha Linehan." It then displays on my TV a list of her Youtube videos and asks which one I want to see.

 

[Jesse910]

Over a period of time, I have modified what I share on social media - my location, personal info, beliefs, gender, etc. I do not have a lot of apps, and choose not to click on ads or items that would expose who I am. I value privacy. Most of my friends are more outgoing and do not care. This is an interesting article.