Written by Cherilyn 2022 Cohort
These days, almost everything around us includes technology. These are invented to support our lifestyle and to offer us convenient choices.
The ‘Internet of things (IoT) is right under our noses. You can easily find it around your house, school, or office. It is the word we call the physical objects that can connect and exchange data with other devices through networks. It will keep data in the cloud. These products take control by using different devices or mobile applications. For instance, people can use a smart home application to control every smart electrical machine in their houses, such as a TV, a light, and a home security system. They don’t need to move around to turn them on and off like they used to.
However, even though this technology brings plenty of benefits, it can also betray us. Today we will focus on privacy issues. Let’s dig a bit deeper into the topic.
Most users barely notice that their electronics are tracking their everyday routine and collecting personal information. For example, a smartwatch can measure their heart rate and follow their sleeping routine, a smart refrigerator can track their eating habits and tell them the grocery they need to buy, and a smart TV can collect their preference information from the search box. After that, the data is stored in the cloud.
It sounds like it is not a problem until these trusted companies share or sell their customers’ personal information to other companies. This is the reason why people always immediately see the advertising of the product that they are looking for after they do something related to that product. Advertising is custom cut from the personal information collected, which means privacy is no longer there.
Everything in the world has two sides. The IoT comes with benefits for humans, but it can also bring changes we won’t like.