'smart appliances'"
Posted on 09/15/2013 5:37:37 PM PDT by rickmichaels
The devil is always in the detail.
So-called “smart appliances” are a popular feature in the modern home. Odds are your new electric kettle, dishwasher, dryer, microwave or even the toaster comes with a pre-installed microchip that enables its operation to be monitored by a third party.
All it needs is a compatible system of Wi-Fi technology to link the appliance to that separate party — which is provided via the Hydro One technology.
Manufacturers are aware of the possibility this offers.
Here is a standard addition to any warranty to kitchen goods sold by the Whirlpool Corporation of America.
“If you use, connect or register a Smart Appliance, we may collect information about you, including your contact information, information about your Smart Appliance, information from your use of SmartPhone Applications or other third party devices (such as smart meters), and information collected by the Smart Appliance Services website.
“We may collect information from a variety of sources, including from you directly, from your Smart Appliance, from your use of the Smart Appliance Services, and from third party sources.”
That makes it clear information can be collected. Will it be shared with others?
“We may share certain information we collect from you (including Personal Information) with our brands and with third parties acting on our behalf.
“We may use information we collect from you to provide you with the Smart Appliance Services, for troubleshooting and maintenance (including for warranty purposes), to communicate with you about your account or your appliance, to offer you products or services, and for other purposes.”
Whirlpool submits that by the simple act of buying their appliances you, the consumer, sign away your rights to privacy.
Concerns over the technology are widespread in the U.S., Australia, New Zealand and Canada.
This was acknowledged by BC Hydro earlier this year when it stopped rollout of its smart meters after a consumer backlash.
The CEO of BC Hydro ordered crews to stop installation if account holders who said they opposed the devices were not home.
A Jan. 21 e-mail from Charles Reid to Energy Minister Rich Coleman said BC Hydro sent a letter to those who objected to having a smart meter.
“If they responded with still saying ‘no,’ we respected that, but of course are still trying to convince otherwise,” Reid wrote.
“For those that did not respond, we went to their home and if we made contact and they still said ‘no,’ we respected that and did not install.”
There is no such provision in Ontario for a similar opt-out measure.
Can we imagine power so ‘inbedded’; that ‘we’ may have to beg for toast. . .Can see an all to real horror story - from Hollywood (post their enlightenment) - unfolding; whereby citizens; beg; beg; beg. . .for life; and the ‘switch’;the Government connection - that allows it; and then waits to see; if they will; in fact; turn it on.
My router is older than that and I don’t have any smart appliances. If one of them dies and I have to get a new one of something, it could communicate but I don’t have a smart meter, either, so maybe no info. can be communicated from my house yet.
If you have a smart meter, the power company can cut it off or let it run for certain hours and cut it off - do anything they want with your power and control any smart appliance plugged into that power source.
WE ARE LIVING IN THE BOOK/FILM 1984.
your toaster knows the exact moment to POP UP....do you??
plug it in....
Mine too, until I found the "toast" button on the front.
It fooled me because when I pushed down the bread, a light came on, the heaters came on, the toaster got hot, and, eventually, after a long time, I got toast. So, being completely stupid, I figured that the toaster was toasting.
I was a fool.
No, the way my toaster was designed, after all that stuf starts, then I have to pick one of four almost identical buttons with little symbols on them to actually start toasting the bread so as to finish the toasting within, say, a week.
That's right, unbenownst to me, I had actually bought a Crock-Toaster. A toaster designed to be started on your way out the door in the morning, so that when you get home at night - ding! - you have fresh, hot toast ready for you.
/rant
crock toaster hahahahah
My toaster was given to me and my wife as a wedding present, 50 years ago.
Perhaps a photo? Made in Germany or England? Drop sides?
Or. . .you prefer toast made in your oven; and under broiler? (And your toaster is 'counter art'?)
Whatever; beginning to long for the 'good old days';when 'ever' they were.
What’s next - condoms with RFID chips?
Hmm, that could be interesting...
Are we all gonna die?
Are we all gonna die?
= = = = = = = = = =
Sooner or later.
I read somewhere that all people that ate beans during the Civil War died.
So I guess NOT eating beans may prolong one’s life????
I’m happy that all of my appliances are dumb, as is the meter on my house.
Now that's hawt...
That’s cute and funny or he doesn’t want to get peanut butter on his book.
Wouldn’t it be easy enough to assign IP addresses to the appliances and block those IP addresses from accessing the internet?
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