[OPLIN 4cast] OPLIN 4Cast #601: The (very) dark side of smart home devices

[OPLIN Support]

Email not displaying correctly? View it in your browser.
<http://www.oplin.org/4cast/>
[image: OPLIN 4Cast]

OPLIN 4Cast #601: The (very) dark side of smart home devices
July 5th, 2018

[image: Out of the darkness and hand is held up] New technologies have
always had pros and cons.  After all, technology of any sort is only a
tool, and it is how it is used that often determines its value.  Smart home
technology (such as thermostats, doorbells and smart speakers like Alexa)
is an area of consumer tech that has really taken off: homes with smart
devices already installed even sell faster
<https://trsmag.com/how-to-sell-smart-homes-better-faster/> in the U.S.
However, there can be a negative aspect to smart homes: they can be used as
tools for domestic abuse.

   -
   - When a smart home becomes a trap
   <https://bigthink.com/robby-berman/when-a-smart-home-becomes-a-trap>
   [Big Think] "Obviously, a victim might at first feel she’s going crazy
   before realizing what’s going on. And given that this form of abuse occurs
   in the home — a person’s safest place — it’s especially terrifying. If
   there are cameras around the home, they can be used to spy on a victim as
   well."
   - For victims of smart home abuse, there's no easy out
   <https://www.engadget.com/2018/07/02/smart-home-abuse-no-easy-out/>
   [Engadget] "On the surface, this seems like a relatively straightforward
   problem to solve: Just change your password or unplug the devices, right?
   Except the issue here is two-fold. Not only are the devices sometimes
   solely controlled by the abuser, but oftentimes making these changes will
   result in even worse abuse, especially if the couple is still living
   together. "
   - The internet of things has opened up a new frontier of domestic abuse
   <https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/jul/01/smart-home-devices-internet-of-things-domestic-abuse>
   [The Guardian] "The people who are particularly at risk are survivors of
   domestic abuse. A striking and timely investigation by the *New York
   Times* has revealed that abusers are employing networked home devices to
   control, harass and stalk their targets. The perpetrators not only spy on
   their ex-partners, but can cause havoc with bursts of music, sudden changes
   in lighting or temperature and other attempts at intimidation."
   - Thermostats, Locks and Lights: Digital Tools of Domestic Abuse
   <https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/23/technology/smart-home-devices-domestic-abuse.html>
   [The New York Times] "In more than 30 interviews with The New York Times,
   domestic abuse victims, their lawyers, shelter workers and emergency
   responders described how the technology was becoming an alarming new tool.
   Abusers — using apps on their smartphones, which are connected to the
   internet-enabled devices — would remotely control everyday objects in the
   home, sometimes to watch and listen, other times to scare or show power.
   Even after a partner had left the home, the devices often stayed and
   continued to be used to intimidate and confuse."

*From the Ohio Web Library <http://ohioweblibrary.org>:*

   - Most Americans Already Using Artificial Intelligence Products
   <http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=pwh&AN=128510372&site=pov-live>
   (Reinhart, R. (2018). Most Americans Already Using Artificial Intelligence
   Products. *Gallup News Service*, 1.)
   - Internet of Things: Status and implications of an increasingly
   connected world
   <http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=pwh&AN=123068085&site=pov-live>
   (Internet of Things: Status and implications of an increasingly connected
   world. (2017). *GAO Reports*, 1.)
   - Factors Influencing Purchase of Smart Appliances in Smart Homes
   <http://proxy.ohiolink.edu:9099/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=buh&AN=128436600&site=ehost-live>
   (Maddulety, K., Sharma, S., Venkatesh, K. P., & Seetharaman, A. (2017).
   Factors Influencing Purchase of Smart Appliances in Smart Homes. *Journal
   Of Accounting, Business & Management*, *24*(1), 21-42.)

------------------------------
The *OPLIN 4cast* is a weekly compilation of recent headlines, topics, and
trends that could impact public libraries. You can subscribe to it in a
variety of ways, such as:

   - *RSS feed.* You can receive the OPLIN 4cast via RSS feed by
   subscribing to the following URL: http://www.oplin.org/4cast/
   index.php/?feed=rss2.
   - *Live Bookmark.* If you're using the Firefox web browser, you can go
   to the 4cast website (http://www.oplin.org/4cast/) and click on the
   orange "radio wave" icon on the right side of the address bar. In Internet
   Explorer 7, click on the same icon to view or subscribe to the 4cast RSS
   feed.
   - *E-mail.* You can have the OPLIN 4cast delivered via e-mail (a'la
   OPLINlist and OPLINtech) by subscribing to the 4cast mailing list at
   http://lists.oplin.org/mailman/listinfo/OPLIN4cast
   <http://lists.oplin.org/mailman/listinfo/OPLIN4cast>.

© 2018 Ohio Public Library Information Network
[image: Find us on Slideshare] <http://www.slideshare.net/oplin>  [image:
Find us on Facebook] <http://www.facebook.com/oplin.org>  [image: Find us
on Google+] <https://plus.google.com/107751358238995507967>  [image: Find
us on Twitter] <http://www.twitter.com/oplin>
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.oplin.org/pipermail/oplin4cast/attachments/20180705/569e1704/attachment.html>