Internet of Things

[Griffin NoName]

This Internet of Things is scary. I don't want my fridge, or anything else, connected to the internet. I just heard about it from a friend who thinks it's all fantastic but I was just alarmed.

Ok, I suppose this is the future. You won't be able to buy washing machines etc which don't connect to the internet.

But why connect?

This is exactly what we have always been warned about. 1984.

[Bluenose]

I think it's pretty stupid.  When you buy a major appliance like a fridge, you expect it to last about 20 years or more.  If it comes with a built in computer of some sort that connects to the internet, I would be very surprised if it would be upgradeable, who wants to use a 10, 15 or 20 year old computer for anything (other than a boat anchor)?

[Aggie]

That's the point, no? People don't buy new appliances every 3 years if they last for 20. Which would you prefer, if you were a manufacturer? 

That's why we now have $600 phones that catastrophically fail when dropped from a height of 1 m, or get sprinkled with water.

[Sibling Zono (anon1mat0)]

While I do get some of the arguments in favor, I do share Griffin's creep about the whole thing, if the fridge knows what do I get inside, that can be used for marketing -or worse- profiling, and we all know that the NSAs and GCHQs of this world pay no attention to privacy laws, nor the CIAs or MI6s of this world care for human rights once they get you.

The last thing I want is to be waterboarded because I had hummus and kibbe in my fridge!