
The Internet of Things Is Still a Privacy Dumpster Fire, Study Finds - thread_id
https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/gyzjym/the-internet-of-things-is-still-a-privacy-dumpster-fire-study-finds
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shakna
Why would we ever expect the Internet of Things to _change_, when things are
as they are now?

> Vizio, for example, settled a $17 million lawsuit last year for secretly
> tracking and selling the usage habits of sixteen million Vizio owners for
> around three years.

$1/user may be your fine, which can still allow you to turn a profit whilst
doing absolutely everything the wrong way.

Why would they spend more development on security or privacy? The incentive
isn't there. Your device being hijacked into a massive botnet swarm doesn't
mean that you as a company get hurt. People still buy your toy at a huge
markup, and the regulations in place won't even put a dent in your profits.

These aren't companies intending to go out and do things the right way,
they're companies that churn.

The good players get left behind because they don't have a new shiny product
every 3-6 months, and the bad players can quickly and seamlessly change their
name and registration and just keep churning out horrible security-
compromising hardware and software.

The consumers aren't cautious or knowledgeable enough, the regulations don't
offer carrots or sticks that can make behaviour better. No part of the current
state of things can encourage anything to change... So why would it?

~~~
nesky
I own a Vizio, I think an E Series, 3 or 4 years back the thing received an
'update' and bricked the tv for nearly 48 hours. There was nothing I could do
with the TV until Vizio sent out a patch. I never connected it to a network
again after that. Just another 'feature' to smart tv's...

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thread_id
Here is the link to they study.

[https://moniotrlab.ccis.neu.edu/wp-
content/uploads/2019/09/r...](https://moniotrlab.ccis.neu.edu/wp-
content/uploads/2019/09/ren-imc19.pdf)

The findings are multi-layered and complex. But it is clear that some
products/devices actively share data about consumer behavior to 3rd parties
for analytics. It is part of the product design (and revenue stream). TVs
appear to be worst offenders. Most consumers of TVs don't have the wear-with-
all to understand the impact to their privacy and make effect product choices
based on that criteria. Much less the motivation: Consumers want the latest
technology at the best price.

