
Rise of the machines: who is the ‘internet of things’ good for? - unmole
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2017/jun/06/internet-of-things-smart-home-smart-city
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Fifer82
Years ago I decided I didn't like the idea of just emitting data online. I
mean with personal stuff, who I know, what I do, where I am going. I just felt
the only thing coming out of that is that it will be used against me later. I
still cannot see a single positive from allowing outsiders to know so much
abut my life.

I don't have a phone and stuff like that. I like a quiet life and am content
with the handful of people I know well. I wonder though, at what point (if
ever) will I be left behind by society? Or if there will always be options for
me.

Like a day where, you go to jail for not having a smart meter installed. Or,
you must access Terminals in an Airport via the Government App on your device.
I am worried about such things.

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Toenex
Interesting thoughts. I guess as always with life, everything becomes a
negotiation between what you want and what you must concede to get it.

Often this concession is a resource exchange - you pay, they provide - but one
that has few other expectations upon you. For instance when I buy some
breakfast cereal I don't have to prove I have bowls, spoons and milk. Market
forces dictate that the widest market is desired and this is the one that
expects the least from it's customer. The store just wants to sell cereal.
However, for some things I might want, I have to demonstrate my suitability to
society. It might be dangerous to sell guns as widely as cereal or fiscally
irresponsible to sell houses to unknown parties. The management of your
suitability for various things is often held by other, trusted structures
within society - government records etc. Thus the task left to the individual
is to prove their identity so that these 'suitabilities' can be attributed to
the person present and to connect appropriate 'suitabilities' stored in
disparate structures e.g. bank account and gun license. Therefore, the key
questions as we journey through this technological transformation are 1) can I
pay and 2) can I prove my identity?

To my mind this is why the mobile phone is such an iconic piece of technology
as it looks like it is becoming the preferred mechanism for a person to answer
both. However, in answer to your question I think what you may begin to
experience is inconvenience more than exclusion.

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packetslave
From what I can tell, the Internet of Things is really good for creating
botnets. [https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/leet-iot-
botnet-b...](https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/leet-iot-botnet-
bursts-on-the-scene/)

(also, 650Gb/150Mpps DDoS? Holy crap!)

Remember, the "S" in "IoT" is for Security!

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jononor
> But the benefit to the individual customer is tiny compared with what Amazon
> gains.

This asymmetry in gains is what I'm most worried about. People get a bit of
convenience (enough to partake), company builds knowledge monopoly.

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someSven
I'd like to have network which reacts by using sensors to play audio I was
listening to in another room. It could also remind me of things when I enter a
room and maybe other conditions are met.

