Internet of Things, as we all know is the rapidly growing network of internet-connected devices in your everyday life. Though IoT enables you to connect your doorbells, TV, refrigerator, microwave and a number of other devices to your phone and makes your job very easy. It is considered to be one of the greatest privacy nightmares.
To find out the ways in which the consumers are vulnerable, the students of Northeastern University set up a lab on the sixth floor of the Northeastern’s Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering complex. This lab almost looks like an apartment with all the appliances connected to the internet. For example, say you want to access the refrigerator. There will be a pre-programmed software where you’ll have to sign up. This program will collect information such as the dates, weather, your mood which is extremely privacy-invasive.
Woody Hartzog, a professor of law and computer science at Northeastern University says that the cost of wiring up technology is really low. Hence kind of a Tech company can easily jam a microchip into a chair or any device for that matter. He also says that the problem is not with the internet but with the things. Things last longer, hence the un-updated software with massive vulnerabilities becomes the weak link that allows people to get in.
The data which is collected using these devices are not just used for targeted ads. No one has control over this data. Hence it is extremely important to thoroughly read the privacy policy before signing up for any kind of internet-connected devices and understand how their data is being used.
Umayal