When we look back into it, smart tech is particularly new compared to the other technologies we have today. Smart tech is one of the latest additions to science, and we have yet to scratch the surface of what it can do. But even if this is the case, it has already become one of the most dominant technologies out there because of three necessities in our lives: comfortability, leisure, and safety.
The interaction of smart tech with each of these necessities can sprout a discussion and article on their own, but for this article, we’re concentrating on safety and how smart tech can make us safe (or not so safe) in our homes, businesses, and society. But before we do this, we’ll have to look into the rise of smart technology.
Smart Technology’s Rise
We can’t talk about smart technology without looking into its founder: the Internet. Sir Tim Berners-Lee invented the internet or the World Wide Web (WWW) in 1989. It is considered to be one of the best inventions of the 21st century. However, smart tech didn’t exist then aside from a kitchen computer known as ECHO IV, back in the 1960s. This technology was mainly a computing computer, and it’s not related to the smart tech we use now. Integrating both the internet and artificial intelligence (an invention made way back in the 1940s) made the smart tech we know of today possible.
What is Smart Technology?
Smart technology has been known to integrate the cognitive-learning process of AI and the big data of the internet to make our lives more comfortable. We see it in almost every device we have nowadays, such as phones, laptops, and computers. They can also be found managing our HVAC systems and electrical grids. But one of the more prevalent uses of smart tech is for security.
Many years ago, security devices weren’t all that reliable. Surveillance cameras were near too useless at night when most crimes happen. Additionally, sensor tripwires could easily be avoided by any keen eye. It had way too many weaknesses. It was only until the integration of smart technology into our security systems that these devices became more efficient. Take the simple, smart alarm, for example.
Smart alarms have been more efficient when it comes to the reporting process because, unlike human functioning, which can be faulty during times of crises and fear, smart tech does not falter or feel fear. It does what its program to do and does it efficiently. It will inform law enforcement near your location, and it will do it on time. It will also identify and blacklist potential invaders and keep them from entering your home.
There are so many things that the simple, smart alarm can do, and when all is said and done, it’s certainly worth it to install a smart alarm for your business and your home. It’s a good deterrent against burglaries and property crimes. But are there any drawbacks to this wonderful technology? Like any good thing we have invented, there are a couple of things that compromise our usage of smart technology. One of them is the IoT.
The Internet-of-Things (IoT)
The very father of smart technology is at fault for countless information breaches, security scandals, and infringement of people’s privacy. These cases are on the rise, and the bigger the internet grows, the more the internet becomes open to cyber-attacks. This can include the company providing the services for your smart technology. This can leave your personal information open for everyone to see.
Scams
Another reason why smart technologies tend to be dangerous is because of scams. There are many scam artists on the internet offering top-of-the-line security devices for a low price. However, these devices feed information into their network, leaving you open to all kinds of crimes.
Hackers
Because everything nowadays is all connected to the IoT, all it takes is a singular hacker to hack into your home or business network through the internet. They have access to all of your security systems.
All of these security compromises are scary. However, you shouldn’t be overly concern about these things because the more cyber-criminals evolve in their operations, the more smart tech is learning from them. You are way less likely to be a victim of cyber-crime because of all the security procedures being implemented by first, your smart tech provider, and second, in the IoT itself. So don’t sweat it.
Technology is making our lives safer today, despite the known problems. As the years pass by, we’ll eventually find solutions to address these problems, and if there is a chance we don’t, we would have lessened it to the point that only very few individuals experience such crimes.
