Smart devices are everywhere these days. They are in your phone, newer thermostats, and even in some lightbulbs. They can help us but can they also hurt us?
In 2019 statistics showed that 53% of Americans have smart devices in their homes. And approximately 33% of responders said that they would buy any IoT device in the next 3 years.
Customers have spent 62 billion dollars on smart home devices in 2020. 52% of all customers think that voice assistants are revolutionary.
But there is still the big question of is it safe and are the big companies spying on us.
Fake news was bad enough. But now that we are in a global pandemic it is even worse. It can negatively affect people’s lives.
The effect of the false news about COVID-19 was so bad the the CDC had to add a myth-busting section the the coronavirus informational page
An example of one of the myth busters on the CDC’s COVID-19 informational page.
Because of the scale of the problem, the World Health Organization (WHO), which is leading the UN’s response to the pandemic, has added a “mythbusters” section to its online coronavirus advice pages. It refutes a staggering array of myths, including claims that drinking potent alcoholic drinks, exposure to high temperatures, or conversely, cold weather, can kill the virus
The issue now is it isn’t just bad people that are posting it. There are now entire social media pages that are dominated by bots that post convincing fake news articles.
The threat that evolution has caused in ransomware makes it harder to avoid. Now that same ai is also committing sextortion.
Sextortion is the treat of exposing indecent images or sexual content to family, friends, or publicly.
Now that the ai has the power to customize ransomware it can now blend in easier than before. It can base its message off of information the AI had scraped about you.
But with the AI getting more powerful. It has a new plan of attack sextortion. It will claim that they have photos and videos of you in a sexual manner. It is getting more dangerous and scares even the smartest people.
Below is a copy of a sextortion email I received. Personal details have been Redacted.
CAUTION: This email originated from outside the corporation. Do not click links or open attachments unless you know the content is safe. Contact Technology with any questions. ________________________________
Greetings!
I have to share bad news with you. Approximately few months ago I have gained access to your devices, which you use for internet browsing. After that, I have started tracking your internet activities.
Here is the sequence of events: Some time ago I have purchased access to email accounts from hackers (nowadays, it is quite simple to purchase such thing online). Obviously, I have easily managed to log in to your email account ([Redacted]).
One week later, I have already installed Trojan virus to Operating Systems of all the devices that you use to access your email. In fact, it was not really hard at all (since you were following the links from your inbox emails). All ingenious is simple. =)
This software provides me with access to all the controllers of your devices (e.g., your microphone, video camera and keyboard). I have downloaded all your information, data, photos, web browsing history to my servers. I have access to all your messengers, social networks, emails, chat history and contacts list. My virus continuously refreshes the signatures (it is driver-based), and hence remains invisible for antivirus software.
Likewise, I guess by now you understand why I have stayed undetected until this letter...
While gathering information about you, I have discovered that you are a big fan of adult websites. You really love visiting porn websites and watching exciting videos, while enduring an enormous amount of pleasure. Well, I have managed to record a number of your dirty scenes and montaged a few videos, which show the way you masturbate and reach orgasms.
If you have doubts, I can make a few clicks of my mouse and all your videos will be shared to your friends, colleagues and relatives. I have also no issue at all to make them available for public access. I guess, you really don't want that to happen, considering the specificity of the videos you like to watch, (you perfectly know what I mean) it will cause a true catastrophe for you.
Let's settle it this way: You transfer $1550 USD to me (in bitcoin equivalent according to the exchange rate at the moment of funds transfer), and once the transfer is received, I will delete all this dirty stuff right away. After that we will forget about each other. I also promise to deactivate and delete all the harmful software from your devices. Trust me, I keep my word.
This is a fair deal and the price is quite low, considering that I have been checking out your profile and traffic for some time by now. In case, if you don't know how to purchase and transfer the bitcoins - you can use any modern search engine.
Here is my bitcoin wallet: [Redacted]
You have less than 48 hours from the moment you opened this email (precisely 2 days).
Things you need to avoid from doing: *Do not reply me (I have created this email inside your inbox and generated the return address). *Do not try to contact police and other security services. In addition, forget about telling this to you friends. If I discover that (as you can see, it is really not so hard, considering that I control all your systems) - your video will be shared to public right away. *Don't try to find me - it is absolutely pointless. All the cryptocurrency transactions are anonymous. *Don't try to reinstall the OS on your devices or throw them away. It is pointless as well, since all the videos have already been saved at remote servers.
Things you don't need to worry about: *That I won't be able to receive your funds transfer. - Don't worry, I will see it right away, once you complete the transfer, since I continuously track all your activities (my trojan virus has got a remote-control feature, something like TeamViewer). *That I will share your videos anyway after you complete the funds transfer. - Trust me, I have no point to continue creating troubles in your life. If I really wanted that, I would do it long time ago!
Everything will be done in a fair manner!
One more thing... Don't get caught in similar kind of situations anymore in future! My advice - keep changing all your passwords on a frequent basis
As our systems get stronger, faster and more advanced facial recognition gets stronger. Is it just a matter of time before they are stalking us with it and watching our every move.
Facial recognition as a feature is nice to log in to our phones and computers. But have you thought about when the governments and organizations get access to widespread access to your facial design and watch your every step? Amazon started with a store with no checkouts just the power of the ai and facial recognition is terrifying. They can see what you buy and when you leave to charge you.
But is that the future of stopping shoplifting from happening? Imagine someone picks up an expensive item and sticks it in their pocket. But the ai sees everything so they leave and they get charged for the stolen item. But if the system recorded that data and reported it to the proper authorities. That could help solve those issues. The system just records your whole interaction with the store and just saves it until you leave and the system ensures that you were acting completely legal the whole time.
Now that vehicle manufacturers are automating cars and trucks what fears are to be had? Are they just a danger waiting for the robotic takeover or just a useful tool for keeping our drivers safe?
There is a common fear that automation will fail and cause car crashes or accidents. Now as the technology gets better with more error correction that worry still looms in the back of our mind but is being calmed by the new safety measures. For example, Tesla will require the driver to be coherent about where the car is. The car requires them to interact every once in a while to continue. If a driver isn’t responding tesla will slow and activate 4 way Hazzard flashers and pull over if possible. But they will also disable the car’s “auto-pilot” for the trip.
A nice thing about some of the new vehicles safety measures is it will help keep the roads a safer place. Some of the newer features are lane assist, parking assist, blind spot detection, and automatic braking.
The lane assist is nice because it alerts you when you are getting close to the lane lines. The parking assist can help save the issues of parallel parking. The blind spot detection constantly watches your blind spots for vehicles and warns you if they are there when you are wanting to change lanes. The automatic braking is a great feature so it can respond faster that the human could and stop so you don’t hit the car in front of you or a kid.
The evolution of Technology the good and the bad 