

Smart grid poses privacy risks - cwan
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/securityfix/2009/11/experts_smart_grid_poses_priva.html

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alttab
This is an interesting post.

And I agree that this could pose privacy concerns. What the article fails to
show is how this is _negative_. Not that I disagree and that it is all
positive, but the entire article smells of "they'll know when you are making
coffee! watch out!"

Its speculative, and borderline fear-mongering. If anything, this data could
be useful on which house hold appliances suck the most power and could create
more innovation on the markets of individual appliances as consumers can see
where their high energy bills are coming from.

I am curious and open to opinions on how this can be a negative thing. Now, if
you start receiving more Starbucks advertisements in your mail or through
selective digital cable advertisements I could see how this could be construed
as sneaky, but consumers have already given up this right with Google, Amazon,
Mint.com, etc.

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prodigal_erik
If there's a database that records which gadgets you own and what time of day
you tend to leave them unguarded, and a public utility bureaucracy is tasked
with keeping that database secure ... don't worry about your gadgets' power
needs. That will be somebody else's problem soon enough.

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theprodigy
it's pretty cool how these smart grids can map out the different load patterns
appliances.This is at the core of the privacy debate. That information can
show exactly how you are living your life within your home and a lot of other
habits as well. Since most of what you do in your home requires energy. I
would watch closely to see what these smart grid companies will do with that
data.

