My standard response to anyone who makes a purchase based on the word 'smart' appearing in the product's name is to ask "smart for whom?" It's certainly not smart for the consumer--unless s/he likes being followed around like a puppy and monitored like a baby in an incubator.
I HOPE I'm not stepping on any toes by relaying this anecdote but, back in the early days of Apple's success as a developer of technical wizardry, there was a rumor going around on newsgroups that the 'i' in Apple products stood for idiot. Considering that Apple products usually run twice as much as the nearest competitor, that it's the bedmate of gover-business and that its devices are increasingly nosy, I believe it. :-)
Any device connected to the internet (wireless or not) can be hacked to be part of an attack on internet servers. This includes refrigerators and baby monitors. I know it sounds bizarre - even funny - but it's true.
It's only going to get worse as more and more appliances become "smart" by connecting to the internet. Russia, by subtle manipulation of votes, can determine who the US president will be. Not this time, but certainly by 2020 unless something is done technologically and/or politically to prevent it. Only Alaska currently allows ALL its eligible voters to vote via the internet. 31 other states allow it for overseas citizens and the military.
Friday's successful attack was a wake-up call. It was a classic example of testing the "enemy's" defenses. The present reaction should be to keep the voting system out of the internet infrastructure. Or massively retaliate to make it not worthwhile for any organization to hack the system.
This post was edited by Louie at October 23, 2016 3:25 AM MDT
I've been delighting in the wonders of the Internet ever since I was a kid. I've been pounding keyboards into dust since the days of BBS and newsgroups...but it's gotten to the point when/where I'm SERIOUSLY pondering the advantages of Luddism. It may be too late, however, what with RFID and router chips the size of a grain of dust.
Transquesta 