Essay Example on Smart Home Security: Protecting Privacy From Hackers and Cybercriminals

Smart home appliances such as Google Home and amazon ring cameras are designed to make life easier. Such devices can control a home's security door, thermostats, lighting system, and home surveillance cameras. These devices are managed over the internet where their data is stored. As such, they have become targets for hackers and cybercriminals. It has become a distressing fact that the current society faces numerous threats to infringement of personal privacy in the internet space. People from different parts have reported cases of adulteration of their data through their smart home devices. The online space is not safe anymore as online hackers have been hacking intelligent home devices and trading private data.

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Internet privacy is an issue that has ignited heated discussions in the world for a long time. The increasing number of internet users has provided loopholes that hackers have utilized to compromise online security. This has left many people looking for solutions about their data safety. The internet of things is becoming a crucial component in homes. People have installed various smart systems for easy management and control of activities in their homes. Several cases have been reported where smart houses have been hacked, and the intruder was taking charge of the home. In some advanced hacking, some home devices have been reported to turn against their owners. Such incidences have raised serious concerns about the security and privacy of home smart home devices.

Last year a family received an alert that their echo dot speakers had been recorded and their messages shared randomly to their contacts. It was later discovered that a hacker snooped over the family's passwords and gained access to their devices. While the passwords were stored online, still the hackers got access to the family data. This scenario shows that some of the home devices widely used in America are not secure.

Many cases are showing how critical security devices have been hacked. A computer scientists study at the College of William and Mary indicates that small devices such as smartphones provide a severe security threat to home privacy (Biddle and Biddle 21). Smart home devices such as light bulbs can offer entry points for hackers in a home. A variety of smart home devices are controlled by a centralized application such as Google Nest app. This means that altering the settings of one smart device can result in a corresponding change of behavior in another intelligent device. For instance, if a smart device is programmed to be in a particular state while the owner is at home and in a different state when the owner is away, then hackers can manipulate and mess up with a home when the owner is away.

Amazon ring cameras have insufficient security leaving users vulnerable to attacks and infringement of privacy. Ring granted its Ukraine based research and development team full access to a folder on Amazon S3 cloud storage service that held every video created by ring cameras everywhere in the world. This access would result in a massive adulteration of extremely sensitive files that can be viewed and shared. Such data lacked encryption because the company considered that keeping encryption was an expensive process, and many people would not use their services due to restricted access. This shows that the user's privacy is not guaranteed in using such smart home services.

It is now clear that several companies and government agencies continuously trade personal data. These companies that buy data comes from different spectrums ranging from small organizations to big firms. Most of the companies that buy data use it for marketing their products through ads over the internet. The companies acquire sensitive personal information such as names, social media accounts such that they can track an individual's activities on the internet. This provides a privacy threat because a user's movement is monitored. Moreover, user data is extracted and used for targeted advertisements through ads.

Sold personal data is used to track people's lifestyles and target them for various reasons. Some companies use personal data to analyze one's lifestyle and determine the kind of goods or services that can be traded to such a person. Additionally, personal data possess a racial risk in discriminating a consumer based on race or income. Additionally, purchased personal data is sent to political consultants who try to influence one's vote. Some data brokers track a person's credit cards information to identify a person's spending patterns (Porcedda and Maria 24). This can also lead to a compromise of an individual's bank accounts and other important private information.

Conclusion

In conclusion, internet privacy has raised global disputes. Home-based smart devices constitute the most commonly hacked devices. Although the home devices are meant to simplify life for users, they have posed a severe threat to their privacy. The Amazon ring cameras lack critical security protections and have been hacked several times in the US. Moreover, user data is sold by government agencies to marketing companies who track user's activity online. As such, online space is unsafe, and users should look for efficient ways of securing their data to maintain privacy.

Works Cited

Biddle, Sam, and Sam Biddle. "For Owners Of Amazon'S Ring Security Cameras, Strangers May Have Been Watching Too". The Intercept, 2020. Retrieved from https://theintercept.com/2019/01/10/amazon-ring-security-camera/?comments=1.

Porcedda, Maria Grazia. "Big data breaches? Harms of datafication to privacy rights." 4th TILEC EGW. Tilburg Law and Economics Center, 2017.