Big Brother is watching
In George Orwell's book "1984", he wrote about a world where not only the words you spoke, but also your movements and even your facial expressions could be monitored. You were not safe in the streets, work, or even your own apartment. Does this sound familiar? Yes, Big brother IS watching you.
In this essay, I will argue that the Internet of Things (IoT) will ultimately succeed in the nullification of our privacy. A future where various small, low-power devices with CPUs, sensors and radios are linked to a mainframe is plausible, and one may argue, inevitable. While the monitoring and availability of user information (to developers and manufacturers) may be beneficial in some ways, the very same information can …show more content…
Vint Cerf, also known as a “father of the Internet”, is worried about the IoT. “Sometimes I’m terrified by it,” he said to journalists at the 2015 Heidelberg Laureate Forum in Germany. “It’s a combination of appliances and software, and I’m always nervous about software. Software has bugs”
Cerf said that devices similar to Google’s Nest thermostat, for instance, can “help me decide how well or poorly I’ve chosen my lifestyle to minimize cost and my use of resources. It can be an important tool”.
Nest’s thermostat learns from what the user does to it. It automatically builds up a profile of the user’s heating habits and adjusts it accordingly. In this manner, it saves vast amounts of energy from learning not to heat empty houses. What happens when this profile falls into the wrong …show more content…
Intellistreets acts as a surveillance system with built-in cameras and security alert system that can be used to deliver public announcements. However, these eco-friendly LED lights or “smart streetlights” can also be used to monitor and record the conversations of passersby.
Ron Harwood told the Detroit Free Press that these “smart streetlights” will make us feel not only safer, but happier” representing how “business and government can work together for economic, environmental, and social benefits.” Basically, any potential threat to the community can be identified and eliminated before it becomes a real problem. Any criminal activity will be monitored and recorded. Discussions on future or past crimes such as housebreaking, murder, and robbery could be picked up. The question of whom the monitoring, evaluation, implementation, and policing will be done by remains
In George Orwell's book "1984", he wrote about a world where not only the words you spoke, but also your movements and even your facial expressions could be monitored. You were not safe in the streets, work, or even your own apartment. Does this sound familiar? Yes, Big brother IS watching you.
In this essay, I will argue that the Internet of Things (IoT) will ultimately succeed in the nullification of our privacy. A future where various small, low-power devices with CPUs, sensors and radios are linked to a mainframe is plausible, and one may argue, inevitable. While the monitoring and availability of user information (to developers and manufacturers) may be beneficial in some ways, the very same information can …show more content…
Vint Cerf, also known as a “father of the Internet”, is worried about the IoT. “Sometimes I’m terrified by it,” he said to journalists at the 2015 Heidelberg Laureate Forum in Germany. “It’s a combination of appliances and software, and I’m always nervous about software. Software has bugs”
Cerf said that devices similar to Google’s Nest thermostat, for instance, can “help me decide how well or poorly I’ve chosen my lifestyle to minimize cost and my use of resources. It can be an important tool”.
Nest’s thermostat learns from what the user does to it. It automatically builds up a profile of the user’s heating habits and adjusts it accordingly. In this manner, it saves vast amounts of energy from learning not to heat empty houses. What happens when this profile falls into the wrong …show more content…
Intellistreets acts as a surveillance system with built-in cameras and security alert system that can be used to deliver public announcements. However, these eco-friendly LED lights or “smart streetlights” can also be used to monitor and record the conversations of passersby.
Ron Harwood told the Detroit Free Press that these “smart streetlights” will make us feel not only safer, but happier” representing how “business and government can work together for economic, environmental, and social benefits.” Basically, any potential threat to the community can be identified and eliminated before it becomes a real problem. Any criminal activity will be monitored and recorded. Discussions on future or past crimes such as housebreaking, murder, and robbery could be picked up. The question of whom the monitoring, evaluation, implementation, and policing will be done by remains