Who’s Watching You While You are
Watching TV
As connected TVs, smart thermostats and smartphone-controlled door locks proliferate in American homes so do concerns about exactly how secure and private those connections are.
According to a post on Mediapost’s Internet Of Things Daily Connected Thinking a new study shows that nearly 60 percent of consumers said they were very or highly concerned about being hacked or suffering a data breach through their connected devices.
These concerned cover a range of issues. Sixty-eight percent expressed concern over security issues like viruses, malware, and being hacked, Sixty-five percent expressed fear that devise manufacturers could collect their data via the connection. Fifty-one percent were afraid of privacy breaches.
More than a third of those surveyed had already experienced a security or privacy incident. Nearly a quarter of the survey respondents possessed advanced technical skills, and still were not confident that they could secure their connected devices.
More than a third of the respondents said they didn’t know how to change their password on their home router. More than 60 percent said they couldn’t configure their routers to keep their home networks safe.
The Federal Trade Commission on March 31 announced a series of three seminars this fall on consumer privacy and protection. Each seminar will focus on a different technology threat. On December 7 the FTC will take a hard look at Smart TVs.
The Commission reminds us that now “virtually all television delivery systems - smart TVs, streaming devices, game consoles, apps, and even old-fashioned set-top boxes-track your viewing habits. Manufacturers of TVs and streaming devices, the advertising industry, and others collaborate to learn was you are watching. “
The FTC will explore tracking technology as well as your understanding about how you are being watched while you are watching TV.
Smart TV manufacturer Vizio is currently facing a federal lawsuit for allegedly sharing information about people’s viewing histories, according to the daily Examiner.
