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posted by CoolHand on Wednesday December 30 2015, @02:02AM   Printer-friendly
from the iot-should-be-doa dept.

Bruce Schneier writes in The Atlantic:

In theory, the Internet of Things—the connected network of tiny computers inside home appliances, household objects, even clothing—promises to make your life easier and your work more efficient. These computers will communicate with each other and the Internet in homes and public spaces, collecting data about their environment and making changes based on the information they receive. In theory, connected sensors will anticipate your needs, saving you time, money, and energy.

Except when the companies that make these connected objects act in a way that runs counter to the consumer's best interests...

After giving examples of the Philips Hue light bulb and Keurig coffee pod DRM issues, Schneier explains how these companies rely on the anti-circumvention provision of the DMCA law to stop competitors from reverse-engineering proprietary standards. He continues:

Because companies can enforce anti-competitive behavior this way, there's a litany of things that just don't exist, even though they would make life easier for consumers in significant ways. You can't have custom software for your cochlear implant, or your programmable thermostat, or your computer-enabled Barbie doll.

[...] As the Internet of Things becomes more prevalent, so too will this kind of anti-competitive behavior—which undercuts the purpose of having smart objects in the first place.

[...] We can't have this when companies can cut off compatible products, or use the law to prevent competitors from reverse-engineering their products to ensure compatibility across brands. For the Internet of Things to provide any value, what we need is a world that looks like the automotive industry, where you can go to a store and buy replacement parts made by a wide variety of different manufacturers. Instead, the Internet of Things is on track to become a battleground of competing standards, as companies try to build monopolies by locking each other out.

Related:
Keurig Cup DRM cracked
Philips Backs Down Over Light Bulb DRM


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  • (Score: 3, Informative) by redneckmother on Wednesday December 30 2015, @04:41AM

    by redneckmother (3597) on Wednesday December 30 2015, @04:41AM (#282380)

    Except when the companies that make these connected objects act in a way that runs counter to the consumer's best interests...

    s/consumer/customer/

    "What we've got here is failure to communicate".

    Our society has lost sight of the difference between "customers" and "consumers". I believe that society at large has surrendered to "consumerism". We need a "paradigm shift" (yeah, I know, "paradigm" has become a "buzzword bingo" high score).

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    Mas cerveza por favor.
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  • (Score: 2) by c0lo on Wednesday December 30 2015, @07:10AM

    by c0lo (156) Subscriber Badge on Wednesday December 30 2015, @07:10AM (#282410) Journal

    s/consumer/customer/
    ...Our society has lost sight of the difference between "customers" and "consumers".

    Ha! That's good shot for the "understatement of the year" prize. To be accurate, customer is an extinct concept.

    The last vestigial remnants of the customer are the 3rd-world countries: it is where the low level of industrialization and low purchasing power dictate that a longer life/better quality of a product serves better the buyer and, as such, are product traits which drive increased market share.

    For anyone else, there are such things as (but not limited to):

    1. planned obsolescence and cheap-marts
    2. free mail/FB/twitter access
    3. comicon conventions and CES** as "education" (i.e. conditioning). "Impulse buying" and the idea that "is socially alright, even fashionable, to act childish. Just suspend your critical thinking, you can afford it"
    4. don't own it. Rent or pay per use
    5. you don't own it, you have a licence to use the product for its lifetime - even if it's "your" tractor [wired.com]. You don't believe it? Read EULA and beware of DCMA

    Apple manages to sell a new version and, within a year convince, almost everyone of its consumers to upgrade, even of the older version serves fine the actual needs of their owners. Coincidence? I don't think so.

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    Come on, resolve the acronym to the words it represents. It says: Consumer Electronics Show

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    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
  • (Score: 2) by FatPhil on Wednesday December 30 2015, @02:59PM

    by FatPhil (863) <pc-soylentNO@SPAMasdf.fi> on Wednesday December 30 2015, @02:59PM (#282505) Homepage
    Who cares what the difference between consumers and customers is - these things are not in the best interest of either consumers or customers.

    And I don't mind being labelled a "consumer". If you overlook a few minor things like houses, I *consume* way more than I *custom* (assuming there is such a verb. My needs are almost entirely satisfied, apart from the needs that I regenerate by losing heat, shitting, pissing, and getting bored. Therefore I consume food, drink, electricity, and bits. That's more true for others less financially stable than me, as they're not customers for things like houses.
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    Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people; the smallest discuss themselves
    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday December 30 2015, @07:16PM

      by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday December 30 2015, @07:16PM (#282603)

      You do not "consume" bits.

      I am not a consumer; I am a citizen. Our consumerist society encourages greed and waste, and that should really be avoided.