Smart technologies are too much

Thpsguy said:

Ever feel like we relie too much on smart techblike why do syoeemarket chilllers

We don't need it, but it does offer companies cost savings by being able to predict when a fridge will fail (and thus save lost stock), improves ability to get an engineer called out when a fridge is showing error codes, lets the company manage settings as air temperatures change, detect unusual activity when the store should be closed etc.

So long as there is a tangible benefit to the owners then I expect this will continue to spread.

Whether the owners are clued up enough to have a capable cyber defence team is a different story - these latest cyber attacks are mostly down to laziness and attempts to penny pinch from the owners.

Where I see the real risk is in systems like cars now where they remain connected 24/7 though built in sim cards, primarily so the cars can receive software updates but more recently so they can manage service subscriptions to make you pay per month for things like connecting your smart phone to the heads-up entertainment or maps systems, heated seats etc (yes, BMW, Mercedes, VW, Tesla and GM make you pay to access hardware you already own).

It is all because they need new ways to milk the customer as they are not selling as many vehicles as they want.

Thpsguy said:

Even TVs don't need it

This is not really for the benefit of the customers. It is a way for the TV companies to be able to harvest data about you (your viewing habits mostly but increasingly through connected devices too) which they use to build up a surprisingly detailed profile of you and what you are likely to be good for advertising to.

I would recommend doing a little research into this if you are interested as it is a bit worrying.

At the end of the day the TV companies are just selling the info to third parties but it is money that is driving all this, and there is no reason for them to want to stop.

It does not make our lives any better for knowing all this but it should help keep things in context and perhaps persuade yourself to take steps to protect yourself if it worries you.

Thpsguy said:

Ever feel like we relie too much on smart techblike why do syoeemarket chilllers

We don't need it, but it does offer companies cost savings by being able to predict when a fridge will fail (and thus save lost stock), improves ability to get an engineer called out when a fridge is showing error codes, lets the company manage settings as air temperatures change, detect unusual activity when the store should be closed etc.

So long as there is a tangible benefit to the owners then I expect this will continue to spread.

Whether the owners are clued up enough to have a capable cyber defence team is a different story - these latest cyber attacks are mostly down to laziness and attempts to penny pinch from the owners.

Where I see the real risk is in systems like cars now where they remain connected 24/7 though built in sim cards, primarily so the cars can receive software updates but more recently so they can manage service subscriptions to make you pay per month for things like connecting your smart phone to the heads-up entertainment or maps systems, heated seats etc (yes, BMW, Mercedes, VW, Tesla and GM make you pay to access hardware you already own).

It is all because they need new ways to milk the customer as they are not selling as many vehicles as they want.

Thpsguy said:

Even TVs don't need it

This is not really for the benefit of the customers. It is a way for the TV companies to be able to harvest data about you (your viewing habits mostly but increasingly through connected devices too) which they use to build up a surprisingly detailed profile of you and what you are likely to be good for advertising to.

I would recommend doing a little research into this if you are interested as it is a bit worrying.

At the end of the day the TV companies are just selling the info to third parties but it is money that is driving all this, and there is no reason for them to want to stop.

It does not make our lives any better for knowing all this but it should help keep things in context and perhaps persuade yourself to take steps to protect yourself if it worries you.