Jim At The Top (Jim Pedicord) Blog

A bit of a follow-on to my last blog about smart device security, this month TV maker Vizio was fined $2.2 million for not telling 11 million owners of their internet-connected TVs that it was spying on them, collecting and selling customers' locations, demographics and viewing habit info. They have been ordered to delete everything and quit doing that. That’s the good news – the bad news is that pretty much all of the other TV brands, set top boxes, game machines and other internet viewing gadgets are doing the same thing to some extent.  They typically give you the opportunity to opt out of being tracked when you set the device up for the first time, but most people tend to be in a hurry and don’t carefully consider what that particular setting actually means.  Bottom line, it’s a good idea for device owners to check the manual or call support for the way to get to the setting and check whether it’s on or off. AND, while you’re at it, if the ...

It seems like companies big and small all over the world are working furiously to make the things around us smarter than we are. I’d say by far the leading examples we all know and love are our phones and our cars, but there are game systems, Smart TV’s and the ever popular “much much more”: Security systems and surveillance Smoke and fire alarms Heating and A/C thermostats Door locks Refrigerators Lights Baby monitors Footballs that track your throws (!!!!) Egg cartons track freshness Water bottles track your hydration Mattress covers that turn off the lights and set the alarm Jars that tell you when contents are getting low And more every day! What you might not realize is some of the technologies that are now being integrated into homes and our lives can provide an open portal to “the web” that may leave them (and YOU) vulnerable to danger, harassment and attack.   Many of these smart devices prioritize simplicity over security and the default ...