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The Internet of Things, also called “IoT,” is an emerging design philosophy that focuses on improving the functionality of various tools and appliances with internet connectivity. This kind of technology has already proven effective at improving the lives of ordinary people and the productivity of businesses, but it still remains a big question mark for many people. Many people find IoT technology to be a devil’s bargain of sorts; they think of it as “too good to be true” and an invitation to negative repercussions. There are valid concerns in this regard, but there are also solutions to these problems. Here’s what you need to know.
IoT Tech May Be Targeted by Hackers
Iot Technology greatly increases the usefulness of many things, but the inherent connectedness of IoT presents the potential for a hacker to take control of a given device or spy on people. This is a very real concern, but as is usually the case with such a concern, experts keep a watchful eye on potential weaknesses in the software and hardware behind IoT tech. One example of this is the use of network protocols like NetFlow to monitor network activity. This kind of monitoring can provide remote and automatic tracking of traffic and, more importantly, activity, as well as the unique users involved. This can help to anticipate and eliminate security threats efficiently. While hackers seem to be consistently developing new tools and techniques to compromise devices and networks, cyber security experts remain in lockstep in order to develop counters to various methods of cyber attacks.
IoT Tech May Be Spying On You
The digital age has brought with it many concerns about personal privacy, and not without good reason. There have been numerous scandals relating to the unethical obtaining and use of people’s private information for a variety of reasons on both the governmental and corporate levels. However, the controversies of the recent past provide a clearer blueprint of the years to come, as laws have already been put in place to limit the collection of data to more ethical means, and many organizations are taking it upon themselves to further refine their understanding of ethical collection and use of a person’s personal data. It is for these reasons that concerns of spying via IoT tech isn’t as much of a concern as people may think. While it can result in improvements to surveillance tech within organizations, IoT devices for personal use aren’t likely to provide anyone with illicit personal data without the nefarious deeds of hackers, a problem that is more or less under control.
IoT Tech Is Unnecessary
While it is technically true that IoT technology isn’t necessary, the assumption is more in line with “IoT tech is superfluous” or “excessively luxurious.” If being unnecessary was a fault against innovations, smartphones wouldn’t have taken hold, after all. However, IoT tech isn’t usually overly luxurious. Instead, IoT provides genuinely helpful benefits to many. An internet connected refrigerator was decried as laughable, but it provides people with the means to more effectively know what they have and what they need, and that helps to prevent food waste. While it’s easy to see why people think the way they do, it’s also easy to see how IoT tech can improve the quality of life for many individuals and families, as well as the productivity of businesses. Despite existing security concerns, IoT is poised to drastically improve security overall by providing faster response time by law enforcement, for example, aided by the direct transmission of security footage, which itself can be automatically and immediately uploaded to the cloud.
IoT technology is still in its infancy, but IoT developers have the advantage of hindsight. While these issues may present a new face, they are merely permutations of past technology and ethics problems. Therefore, there are proven methods of overcoming these problems. By that logic, transitioning to the widespread use of IoT technology is likely to be a smoother experience overall. If you were on the fence about the use of IoT technology, perhaps this guide can help assuage your concerns and help you take advantage of the tremendous potential IoT has to offer.