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1. Michał "rysiek" Woźniak · 🇺🇦 (rysiek@mstdn.social)'s status on Wednesday, 18-Jan-2023 09:01:46 JST Michał "rysiek" Woźniak · 🇺🇦

   I remember trying to buy a TV that does not have "smart" functionality a few years ago. It was a chore. Today it seems impossible.

   And not just TVs: ovens; refrigerators; dishwashers — all have "smart" options. In fact, it seems that more and more the available non-smart models are only the simpler ones, less performant in ways that are not related to any smart functionality missing.

   My non-smart TV was available only with lower resolutions than "smart" models of the same brand.

   #IoT

   1/🧵

   • Adrian Cochrane repeated this.
   • Michał "rysiek" Woźniak · 🇺🇦 (rysiek@mstdn.social)'s status on Wednesday, 18-Jan-2023 09:01:42 JST Michał "rysiek" Woźniak · 🇺🇦

     in reply to

     So here's my (silly?) idea: a regulatory requirement for #IoT / smart-appliance vendors to provide either:

     a). similarly-priced models physically without the smart functionality but with other performance metrics on-par with their smart models;

     or

     b). a reliable, verifiable, physical way of disabling smart functionality in their smart-devices.

     I want to be able to buy a damn refrigerator without worrying about it joining a botnet! Just ain't cool.

     I wonder if this makes any sense!

     4/🧵/end

   • Michał "rysiek" Woźniak · 🇺🇦 (rysiek@mstdn.social)'s status on Wednesday, 18-Jan-2023 09:01:43 JST Michał "rysiek" Woźniak · 🇺🇦

     in reply to

     In 2016 a router-based Mirai botnet took down Dyn, one of the biggest online infrastructure companies, and many well known websites with it:
     https://coar.risc.anl.gov/mirai-attack-dyn-internet-infrastructure/

     Mirai mainly targeted home routers.

     As early as 2018 there were already botnets that… used CCTV cameras. But of course the predominant media narrative was "hackers attack" instead of "vendors put us at risk":
     https://www.vice.com/en/article/9a355p/hackers-are-using-cctv-cameras-to-create-botnet-swarms

     But I digress.

     With all this in mind, I started thinking of how could this be solved?

     #IoT

     3/🧵

     Adrian Cochrane repeated this.
   • Michał "rysiek" Woźniak · 🇺🇦 (rysiek@mstdn.social)'s status on Wednesday, 18-Jan-2023 09:01:44 JST Michał "rysiek" Woźniak · 🇺🇦

     in reply to

     This really annoys me. I am too well aware of security implications of smart devices.

     I do not want to have to manage regular software updates for whatever number of appliances I have at home, or risk somebody using them in a botnet (or worse).

     And no, I don't trust their "disable WiFi" menu options either. Seen this setting get enabled without my consent too many times.

     I *could* put them on a special VLAN, but 99% of people can't. That's a problem, and not just for them.

     #IoT

     2/🧵

     Adrian Cochrane repeated this.
   • Adrian Cochrane (alcinnz@floss.social)'s status on Wednesday, 18-Jan-2023 09:14:34 JST Adrian Cochrane

     in reply to

     @rysiek I seem to have better luck in New Zealand, but not on TVs!

     Oh well, I enjoy my projector... Except for how late the sun is setting this time of year...

   • Kevin Karhan :verified: (kkarhan@mstdn.social)'s status on Thursday, 19-Jan-2023 03:19:43 JST Kevin Karhan :verified:

     in reply to

     @rysiek +9001%

     I just don't buy any TV but Monitors instead.

     And yes, I too jate that #InternetOfShit stuff.
     I want my home to be stupid!

   • Jim Parsons (tryshhq@mastodon.social)'s status on Thursday, 19-Jan-2023 03:22:33 JST Jim Parsons

     in reply to

     @rysiek

     The #1 job of any device or service with the word "smart" in front of it? – make its manufacture and 3rd party #data broker partners smart about you & your family...

     #BigTech
     #BigData
     #Surveillance
     #SurveillanceCapitalism
     #Privacy

   • steeph 🎆 ٩(˘◡˘)۶ (steeph@todon.eu)'s status on Thursday, 19-Jan-2023 07:09:12 JST steeph 🎆 ٩(˘◡˘)۶

     in reply to

     @rysiek The weird thing is: Those "smart" features (whatever features this label stands for) usually mean many drawbacks in exchange for minor benefits that are only useful in corner cases.

     I don't have anything against the internet of things. I like for example that all my hygrometers are accessible via LAN (and WAN if I want to). But, as an example from the opposite side, the assumption that wanting a TV/large monitor in the living room includes wanting to have a microphone listening to what's going on in that living room and talking to Google, Amazon, idk whom, is absurd.

     I wish I could buy a dumb 65" monitor for a reasonable price. I don't want software to mess with the colors, chang

   • Tim Panton (steely_glint@chaos.social)'s status on Monday, 20-Feb-2023 03:48:43 JST Tim Panton

     in reply to

     @rysiek I agree with the sentiment , I bought a 'safe' TV - and paid extra over the 'smart' model.

     However there are devices that _have_ to connect to serve their core purpose - Routers and CCTV cameras are good examples.

     What we need is for them to be able to connect safely, work well within a local network and if it makes sense be accessed securely from outside a local network.

     This is entirely do-able and legislation is starting to demand it.