They don't call them 'pop tarts' for nothing.
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.
Unless it knows my wifi router password, it’s not communicating anything back to the home office.
WIFI I protected......unless my passwords are hacked, my toaster can not watch me.
Actually I have other things to worry about rather my toaster spying on me or not.
I make it a point not to buy a toaster smarter than I am.
smart appliances also communicate through the electrical grid and are identified by that smart meter on your house and can be manipulated by the power company.
What would be the advantage for the consumer be of their dish washer connected to the internet? Let’s say there is a problem with operation, or sends a code to Maytag, then what? Couldn’t the code just flash a signal to the consumer so they can get the repair man out to fix it?
Think about how baby monitors communicate. If an appliance is “smart”, it doesn’t need wifi, or ethernet. It can communicate directly with the electric meter via the power lines.
Think the line to your password; is now considered ‘easy access’ category. If they want it; they will have; and probably do; already.
I will not ever need a toaster that can communicate other than have a distinctive pop-up sound when the toast is done.
You still haven't told us if you actually have one. [grin]
and I most definitely do not want my toaster talking to my fridge behind my back..
I suspected as much when I noticed by dishwasher following me around the house. Every time I stopped and looked at it, though, it turned a different direction and pretended to be working. I thought maybe I was just paranoid.
Well, if they do maybe they can also make my toaster work better.......I swear you could add three rooms to your house before the damned thing could make toast.
>>and I most definitely do not want my toaster talking to my fridge behind my back.
Now that’s funny! :-)
I'd be more worried about the toaster porn that it was surfing than I would be about the gossip that it's sharing with your fridge.
They don't call them 'pop tarts' for nothing.
>> “Unless it knows my wifi router password, it’s not communicating anything back to the home office.” <<
.
Sorry, but that depends on how old your router is. If you bought it within the last seven years, it has federally mandated “back doors.”
(It rose to public consciousness - the meaning of 'is' - and now; we are not able to define,that which IS our 'OWN'. Clearly depends on 'whose' definition we adhere to.)
Why not, just give it all, to these Lefties. . .it is what made Nazi Germany; and empowered Stalin; and Mao; dictators Et Al. Absolute power; the 'allowance' of absolute power (though certainly resisted by many; if not enough; or by those, too late smart. . .) is what it what it is.. and it is what the Left wants. Their 'future' - their livlihood; depends on it. Always. . .
I scared away the guy that came to put in a water dept. “smart meter” at our house this spring. I happened to have bronchitis at the time and worked up a crazy coughing fit while telling the fellow that my Dr. warned that I couldn’t have such a device in my home. I was hacking and wheezing and saying all the while that I had been warned the thing would interfere with my “medical devices”.
I have no medical devices. Yet.
Anyway he flew to the front door and stumbled all over his equipment trying to get away from the flu bug he thought I had. I kept telling him he couldn’t catch what I had. He looked at me like I was a potential murderer. It was funny.
A different guy showed up the next time, and told me that the first one had CUT THE LINE TO THE EXISTING METER on the outside of the house. He said that’s what they were doing, then they call and say there is a problem with your meter and it needs to be changed. That’s how they are doing it around here.
Sneak up to your house, cut your line, tell you it’s the meter and they have to “estimate” your bill until the thing is “fixed”. Then the guy shows up and installs the smart meter without telling you that’s what he’s doing. Guy #2 fixed the cut wire and started up my old meter.
I see a potential for marketing “dumb” appliances. Think of the sales slogans for such!
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