Would you like some toast?
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.
not to mention we have Ethernet over Power Lines already, so if you plug it in and you are on the grid, you are OWNED.
Smart meters can be electonically jammed with readily available devices if they are “plug-in” appliances; not so for air conditioners and furnaces.
Appliances these days are complete junk. A washer from just a few years ago might have a life expectancy of 15 to 20 years. Our washer is 20 years old and I plan to have it repaired before I will buy a new one.
Remember the Maytag advertisement. What a big lie. Maytag is crap.
Sorry to rant. American consumers are getting screwed. Plus all of the old POS appliances end up in a junk yard or the land fill. So much for being environmentally friendly, ie, green. Green means less robust and heavy duty and more likely to fall apart.
I think I read about the “medical device/equipment” dodge here on FreeRe, so I was ready with a plan when the guy showed up.
Our town never even mentioned this - unless it was hidden in one of those yearly report things they mass mail. But I was suspicious, so when the first guy showed up I asked a few questions while I got my chest to rattling, when he wouldn’t give me a straight answer, I progressed to deep juicy coughs. I asked again and he finally muttered something about the readout being digital. Then I commenced to gasping and gagging and man, that guy couldn’t move towards the door fast enough. When I called the office to reschedule, I did my routine and alternated hacking up hairballs with repeating dire “warnings” from my Dr.s about my medical devices being adversely affected by THOSE meters.
My husband can’t believe the stuff I do, LOL. But hey! My house, my money, and if I don’t want to have my utilities spy on me then I’ll do what it takes.
When is enough enough? Our cars have chips, utility meters spy, computers spy on us, cell phones are tracked, credit cards are tracked and analyzed, whatever we do at work is tracked. Paper money has magnetic strips which can be pinged. What in hell are they missing? It’s like a nutball stalker scenario.
The appliance has to be able to talk with your router first and that is all set up from the router.
On the other hand, if you set it up, then it is possible for it to communicated with the factory.
Seems like a waste of $ IMO. Why not put the money into a more reliable longer lasting appliance. Basic functionality and reliability first, expensive, whizzy features a distant second.
Also, IP over the power line has limited range and is not practical.
Power companies can manage only an aggregate few hundred bits/second data rate over several miles; not much to serve a whole neighborhood's data snooping needs, eh?
You mean to tell me my newly purchased hair dryer gives information to the NSA!!??? WTH. Guys at NSA, get a live, cause mine will bore you to tears.
I believe you're talking about backdoor access from the WAN side; not the WIFI side.
Current Wifi routers have some universal passwords that you cannot defeat.
Google has them, as does the FBI.
Haa, we’ve discovered “green” is the code word for “it doesn’t work”.
I think it that were true we’d all have heard them by now (other than the default management password until changed).
“If they want it; they will have; and probably do; already.”
There is an article that states that Google has every WIFI password in the US.
All you have to do is locate the wifi antenna in the device and cut it out.
I just went in and looked. It’s a Sunbeam pop-up.
It’s set on the darkest setting now and the toast comes out a little on the light side, but it’s still putting out.
Will you explain more what that means to us?
It is the Ethernet that controls the appliances, right?
A freeper here a few months ago discussed how power was cut to the airconditioning Hvac in the home by the power company. That would have happened via Ethernet? Yes?
I’ve heard it said that eventually the NSA won’t be concerned with getting [or not] warrants, etc, to tap your phone to spy on home, auto, work, shopping and free association communications. They will simply listen, watch and track you through all your many appliances, comm and entertainment devices, as well as a hoard of public cameras.
What this will come to, IMO, is that anyone not fully “on the grid” will be a criminal suspect and likely will be arrested for the slightest offense, be it an actual or made-up violation.
Would you like some toast?
Toaster spying can be defeated by making your toast on the hot griddle of a wood stove.
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