The Internet of Things has sparked a great excitement already before hitting the market. But, there’s also another side of the coin. The disadvantages of the IoT that hide behind the sheen of the newest technology are summed up here.
The IoT is going to take the world by storm. This awesome money and time-saving trick to virtually monitor devices in your household is showing some promising signs. Once it hits our everyday life, it will be more than just productivity-boosting. The benefits are ceaseless. And the one thing that rises above all—is that comfy, warm sense of being connected to your home things wherever you go. Internet of Things is all about the safety that comes with the associated apps.
Or... is it?
Our planet already has enough mess accumulated by technology. According to the Forbes, a whopping number of 30,000 computers are hacked every day. Whether the sob story is—Sony’s hacking Scandal or Jennifer Lawrence’s outrageous photo-leaks, privacy breach is nothing new to hit headlines.
But the safety hazards associated with Internet of Things didn’t discourage David Carmon, Britain’s Prime Minister to promise £45 million to IoT’s future. But Edith Ramirez of Federal Trade Commission, USA, aired the data security concerns that IoT inevitably brings and she warns “Any device that is connected to the Internet is at risk of being hijacked.”
Considering National Security Agency spying leaks, letting Internet steer the wheel of your household appliances is another way of sending a welcome note to government surveillance agencies ( or worse, hackers who do it for fun), to monitor what’s on your plate for dinner this evening. Just as shown in the TV series Homeland, terrorists are capable of hacking even a pacemaker.
A fitness-tracking smartwatch, the one that counts your step or heartbeat, can be tampered with. Symantec Corporation has carried out a research that confirms so. Make sure when you use IoT as security footage or baby monitor, isn’t being used to stalk your move. The other devises that are susceptible to such intrusion are Smart TVs, Baby monitors, USB, Routers and even toilets!
The security of Internet of Things depends on the data encryption during transmission. It will take true grits of manufacturers and careful consideration of computer scientists to ward off evils lurking behind the smart LEDs and unassuming webcams. Or else, IoT will be our 21st century’s cross to bear.
