Is “Smart” Technology Dangerous?
Summary: "Smart" technology has many benefits, but there are also many dangers to watch out for. Don't fall victim and lose your privacy for the sake of convenience.
“Smart” devices and technology are intended to help us be more productive and provide more convenience, but it comes with many dangers that people overlook. “Smart” devices are those that connect to the Internet and can be controlled from afar. Think of the convenience of turning on your heat on a cold day remotely, when you’re on your way back from work, so your house is nice and warm when you return. Or when grocery shopping and not sure if you have the ingredients for a meal you are making, so you remotely look inside your fridge and freezer. Or a television that can easily connect to all your favorite streaming services, as you rent the entertainment you watch, but you don’t own it. Or even a watch that tracks your sleep, movement, and exercise all for you to ensure you’re healthy. These all sound great, and like a nice convenience, but anything that connects to the Internet can be used for purposes beyond what it was intended for.
For one, anything connected to the Internet is susceptible to hacking. It has an IP address and is visible on the Internet to anyone who wishes to gain access to it and has the means to do so. This in itself is a big red flag as to the dangers of the technology, regardless of how convenient it is. Additionally, anything connected to the Internet can be tracked, with usage statistics. If you thought you were the only one looking inside your fridge, then you’d be mistaken. If you thought your television, computer, phone, and an Amazon Echo or Google Home/Nest, is only voice activated when you want it to be instead of always listening to you, then you’d be mistaken. These are all major concerns, but there is something far worse, and it’s the intended purpose of “smart” technology and the “smart” grid. This is intentional control over the device by a third party, specifically the electric company, gas/oil company, or the government.
So, not only is big tech collecting data on you, and knows more about you than your spouse does, and even knows more than you know about yourself, this information is not only used for advertising to you, but also to track and control you. For instance, many people get an electric car because it is supposedly better for the environment. They are blissfully ignorant to the fact that the batteries and electricity used to power the vehicle is more damaging to the environment than a gas powered car. Nevertheless, they buy it and feel safe with all the convenient features it offers. However, these cars are connected to the Internet. Every time you charge it at a station, all information about you is exposed and sent to a third party. This includes where you drove and for how long, how fast you drove, any videos and audio that was recorded, and basically everything you did with the car. Now take that a step further and suppose you exceeded your carbon emission limit for the day, then perhaps the punishment is that you are not allowed to leave your home. With the electric car, the government can turn it off without your consent so you are unable to drive.
Imagine it’s a cold day, and the heating company remotely turns down your heat since there is a shortage, or due to climate change, or perhaps you have exceeded your allocated carbon emission limit for the day, thus you can no longer be warm unless you purchase more credits and lower your carbon credit score. This may all sound like some conspiracy theory of a dystopian future, but these things are happening right now. The only way out of it, is to not comply with the system.
Don’t sacrifice privacy for convenience. Keep it simple and disconnect whenever possible. If you think “smart” devices will really make you happier, then you will need to truly explore the things that make you happy since nothing external will. If you already have some of these devices, do you really, truly feel happier? Likely not, so happiness will not come from “smart” technology, but only make you more of a slave for the government to control and track you. Don’t fall for it.
Let me know how this works for you. Have a great day!
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Additional Info
I have always been skeptical of these “smart” devices. I always thought that the television was spying and listening in. I was called a conspiracy theorist for saying such things. Now, it’s common knowledge that the television, phone, and computer are all spying on you. But, I never understood why. I got the idea of advertising, but then I realized that the whole system is in place to control your entire life via the carbon credit system. Disobey or exceed it and your services are shut off. What’s wrong with keeping things simple? The answer is that it cannot be controlled. “Smart” technology can, and will unless people stop sacrificing their privacy for convenience.
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