from the Quis-custodiet-ipsos-custodes? dept.
This app lets you see IoT devices around you and what data they're taking:
A new app launched this week will let you know what internet of things technologies are operating around you and what data they are collecting. The Internet of Things Assistant app and its infrastructure, created by Carnegie Mellon researchers, aims to give you more control over the devices tracking your activity and information.
With the app, you'll be able to see devices like public cameras with facial recognition technology, Bluetooth beacons tracking your location at the mall, and your neighbor's smart doorbell or smart speaker, according to a story published by Carnegie Mellon's Security and Privacy Institute. You can see what data these devices collect, and access privacy choices like opting in and out of data collection when available.
[...] If you own an IoT device that operates in a public space, you can use an online portal to publish where your IoT devices are and what data they collect, so they can be added to the app's database.
"We've done the work for you," Sadeh said in the story. "All you need to do is start adding your IoT resources so you can be in compliance with today's privacy laws."
(Score: 4, Touché) by JoeMerchant on Monday February 24 2020, @01:46PM (7 children)
Do these "register your data with me so I can be the world's leading resource" schemes ever succeed?
🌻🌻 [google.com]
(Score: 1) by nitehawk214 on Monday February 24 2020, @03:11PM (2 children)
I've seen so many of these "all we need is a bunch of people and companies to do data entry for us for free", the only one I can ever remember to be truly successful was CDDB.
But even that one got ruined by greed.
"Don't you ever miss the days when you used to be nostalgic?" -Loiosh
(Score: 2) by JoeMerchant on Monday February 24 2020, @03:16PM
Yeah, that's a good example - I think there are still some music and lyric databases like that which are still pretty useful, and I suppose Wikipedia might be considered another rare - even unique - example. Greed does tend to collapse the effort, Wikipedia seems to teeter on the edge of extracting maximum value without losing too many users, and even they don't make much money considering their size and traffic volume.
🌻🌻 [google.com]
(Score: 3, Informative) by FatPhil on Monday February 24 2020, @10:23PM
IMDB (now owned by Amazon, but it's a great database still)
Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people; the smallest discuss themselves
(Score: 3, Touché) by Thexalon on Monday February 24 2020, @06:10PM (3 children)
It worked for Google.
The only thing that stops a bad guy with a compiler is a good guy with a compiler.
(Score: 2) by JoeMerchant on Monday February 24 2020, @08:34PM (1 child)
Google at least goes out and scrapes their content... but you have a point with YouTube.
🌻🌻 [google.com]
(Score: 3, Informative) by Thexalon on Monday February 24 2020, @09:21PM
And Gmail. And Google Drive. And Google Calendar. And Google Docs. And Google Classroom. And a whole bunch of other projects that are about convincing users to give their data to Google without strings attached.
The only thing that stops a bad guy with a compiler is a good guy with a compiler.
(Score: 2) by darkfeline on Tuesday February 25 2020, @04:32AM
It also worked for the founder of DuckDuckGo, who sold his Names Database for a good chunk of cash.
Join the SDF Public Access UNIX System today!
(Score: 5, Insightful) by Booga1 on Monday February 24 2020, @02:00PM (1 child)
LOL, "We've done the work for you." Noooo, you've made an app and you're waiting for everyone else to do the work of getting everything into your database.
It's data research being outsourced to the masses. Double bonus on their marketing team in how they're framing this as if they are helping YOU be in compliance with vague "privacy laws."
(Score: 2) by Common Joe on Tuesday February 25 2020, @09:58AM
LOL * 2. I didn't RTFA, but it sounds like they are collecting data to protect your privacy.
Yeah. Because that works so well everywhere else. Sorry, don't trust them already.
(Score: 5, Interesting) by zocalo on Monday February 24 2020, @02:23PM (12 children)
Oh well, back to the war-driving approach to figuring out what gadgetry my neighbours have been spending their money on... (Spoiler; it's a huge steaming pile of IoT junk, which grows considerably after each Christmas then slowly dwindles over the subsequent months, but still with an upward trend year on year).
UNIX? They're not even circumcised! Savages!
(Score: 2) by ikanreed on Monday February 24 2020, @03:21PM (9 children)
They don't even make non-IOT versions of some things, like TVs and printers, anymore.
(Score: 2) by JoeMerchant on Monday February 24 2020, @03:24PM (7 children)
I just assembled a monitor + PiZero to make my own "smart TV" that I control. Amazingly - with all the "choice" out there, products on the market just didn't do what I wanted - LibreElec with 32GB of onboard storage, bluetooth audio out, and a bright 15.6" 1080p screen.
🌻🌻 [google.com]
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday February 24 2020, @06:27PM (2 children)
I picked up a reasonably priced WiFi-enabled TV before the holidays. I haven't set up the WiFi part yet because I wanted to figure the best way to do it. Right now the TV is only doing over-the-air reception. I've looked at a few software options (OSMC, etc.), but I haven't spent too much time trying to figure it all out yet. Are you happy with LibreElec? Did you consider any other options?
(Score: 3, Informative) by PartTimeZombie on Monday February 24 2020, @08:05PM
I bought a dumb TV last year, 65", and I have an x86-64 bit Wyse terminal running LibreElec plugged into one of the HDMI ports.
It works really well, apart from the fact the old Atom processor is a bit underpowered for some hi-def stuff and stutters a bit.
LibreElec itself is really good, there are plugins for all sorts of stuff, including Netflix. I would recommend it.
(Score: 3, Informative) by takyon on Monday February 24 2020, @10:50PM
I use LibreELEC on RasPi4B 2GB. Primarily for ILLICIT PIRATE STREAMING KODI ADDONS but also YouTube, Pluto TV, radio, etc.
Some prefer Plex for its features. But it's possible to combine LibreELEC and Plex.
https://www.howtogeek.com/348829/5-reasons-kodi-users-should-just-switch-to-plex-already/ [howtogeek.com]
[SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 1) by gmby on Monday February 24 2020, @06:52PM (1 child)
What are you using for a over the air tuner? I can't afford Silicondust products. My fist gen unit has worn out its transistors.
Bye
(Score: 2) by JoeMerchant on Monday February 24 2020, @08:41PM
It's a special use case: onboard entertainment in a 30' (that's relatively small) yacht. Haven't watched over the air TV in forever, in theory we could stream Netflix or whatever from the cell phones but in practice we just pre-load movies and watch those. If it gets a lot of use I'll probably up the storage from 32GB to 512GB for ~$70. The other actually more common use case for the PiZeroW is for the screen to be off and play (recorded) music over Bluetooth - again, the cell phones could stream to Bluetooth, but I prefer playlists.
If it proves reliable enough, I might look into getting some real-time marine/weather info into the screen, but for now it does what we want: keeps the kids entertained.
🌻🌻 [google.com]
(Score: 2) by legont on Monday February 24 2020, @11:27PM (1 child)
Yes, works perfectly. I have this setup for years. Need to upgrade to Pi4 as some newer codecs are too heavy, but was not sufficiently bothered yet.
"Wealth is the relentless enemy of understanding" - John Kenneth Galbraith.
(Score: 2) by JoeMerchant on Tuesday February 25 2020, @02:09AM
The kids have Pi4s for their media/desktop PCs in their rooms, Kodi works great on Raspbian on a 4, and even Chrome/YouTube etc. For the boat I wanted the lower power and lower heat of the Zero.
🌻🌻 [google.com]
(Score: 2) by RS3 on Monday February 24 2020, @05:44PM
> They don't even make non-IOT versions of some things, like TVs and printers, anymore.
My screwdrivers and wire cutters will have something to say about that.
That was supposed to be funny. Truth is, WiFi and BlueTooth antennas are very small, but can be found and mechanically disabled. Of course the thing might refuse to work. I prefer to keep older things.
BTW, more and more people are doing away with landlines, including Internet, instead using a smartphone for everything, so how do IoT things work if you don't have WiFi?
(Score: 2) by JoeMerchant on Monday February 24 2020, @03:21PM
Yeah, I thought that too, but as they went on it became obvious that the technical challenge is intractable - at least for a startup. I'd bet federal agencies already have these tools.
🌻🌻 [google.com]
(Score: 4, Interesting) by epitaxial on Monday February 24 2020, @07:19PM
Stores are using devices like this to track customers. I thought there would be a pile of Raspberry Pi based projects that send out broadcasts and see if wifi and bluetooth devices answer. Turns out there is hardly anything. This would be a nice addition to my outdoor surveillance camera. Besides capturing video it could also capture the MAC address of phones. Has anyone done something similar? No I'm not talking about wardriving either but the exact opposite. Looking for clients.