Tag Archives: Internet of Things

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The dangers of relying on our smart devices

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As consumers, we continually hear about the ‘Internet of things’ and the positive changes that will come from our always connected world.

I recently read an article in the San Jose Mercury news that talks about the devices we are all expected to acquire that will make many of our life decisions for us, whether an automated butler, health gadget, thermostat or a driverless car.

It made me contemplate the amount of connectivity we already have in our lives and how it is set to increase. How much is enough? Can we have too many smart devices?

Let’s consider a potential scenario from the not too distant future:

Awoken at the optimal moment in your sleep pattern by your wearable tracker,  you are recommended a light breakfast that includes juice with added vitamin D due to your lower than normal levels.

While having breakfast, the news is reported to you by a service that selects what it thinks you will want to know.

The weather app recommends dressing cooler today as sunshine is forecast. Your driverless sends an alert that, based on traffic conditions, the optimal time to get on the freeway would be in 10 minutes time. It then alerts the household heating system to shut down as you are going to be leaving.

The first two hours of your day are led by suggestions made by gadgets and where the information you are offered has been pre-selected.

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Some mornings this guidance might seem the perfect way to start the day. To me though, it seems like we are at risk of surrendering control to the devices of the future.

Our connected gadgets and services are being controlled or fed information that, of course, is open to manipulation by people and companies out to exploit our willingness to be led rather than to explore.

“We need to temper our reliance on technology and connected services, even though they can help make life easier”.

We need to keep our reliance on technology in check and connected services, even though they can help make life easier.

Imagine a life without open choice, where all options available have been preselected for you. It is starting to sound like the Truman Show.

Take an everyday task such as selecting a movie for the family to watch. On a busy workday, a recommendation made by a streaming company might be useful, but if I did not sit and browse for myself every now and again, I would miss things that I might also like.

Exploring the options for myself allows me to find things that would not have been on my list of recommendations and might just surprise me.

I love my gadgets and I don’t want to come across as negative. However, there’s a lot to be said for exploring.

I would encourage everyone to find some time in their busy schedule to go gadget free and try something new. You never know what you might discover.

AVG

The future of smart glasses still looks bright

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At the 2015 Consumer Electronics Show earlier in January, wearable digital technology was the darling of the show.

While most of the buzz was around smart watches, Google Glass remained a status symbol worn by some geeks attending the show.  The yet-young “smart glasses” scene even boasted new entrants by major players like Sony and Epson.

So, it was surprising to some, when Google announced last week that as of Monday January 19th 2015, it was halting sales of its glasses and going back to the drawing board. Perhaps not so surprising to anyone outside the bubble of CES.

The consumer product media had ridiculed the glasses and its adopters for everything from how the device looks, to potential privacy infringements.

Google announced that Tony Fadell, the father of the iPod while at Apple and the CEO of smart-home device maker Nest Labs, which Google acquired last year, would undertake the Glass re-boot.

Tony Faddell

Image courtesy of mojandroid

 

Under Fadell’s expert hand, the product’s redesign should help Google Glass, though concerns about the smart glasses concept remain. I recently wrote about wearable devices and adoption, and privacy issues, particularly in the workplace. The focus of that piece was a potential ban on smart glasses and what companies need to do to prepare for the Wear Your Own Device (WYOD) trend. For now, it looks like the negatives outweighed the benefits, on the consumer side at least.

However, I believe that the smart glasses concept has great potential in other areas – one of which, is healthcare.  Boston’s Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center is a prime example of how smart glasses can assist medical staff. It has developed a system that allows an ER doctor to look up information on patients by using Google Glass to scan a Quick response (QR) code on the wall of each room. It’s a great project and you can read a doctor’s blog about it here.

More recently, smart glasses for healthcare applications got another boost in the form of Augmedix, a startup with the aim of providing medical professionals with a Glass-powered records management solution.

Augmedix

Image courtesy of Augmedix

 

Enabled by Google Glass, Augmedix expedites the time physicians spend daily entering or retrieving data from electronic health records, allowing them to focus on patient care. According to the company, first launched in 2012, the service has a nationwide patient acceptance rating of more than 99 percent. The company’s CEO reports to Forbes that the Glass reboot is not cause for concern, as Google will continue to supply Glass to enterprise customers.

According to Forbes, Augmedix was one of ten companies Google lists as certified Glass at Work partners, focused on Glass-based enterprise services. More than half of them list healthcare as a major focus.

Of course, privacy issues will be consummately important for smart glasses in healthcare scenarios – as patient privacy is rigorously protected by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and vigilance is of critical importance to all of us.

It’s not just about healthcare though, I think the smart glasses category has a lot to offer many fields that need quick and hands-free information, including things like rescue operations and engineering on a drilling platform.

So, where are digital glasses going? Suffice it to say, for now, it looks like away from the consumer market and into business ones.

Image courtesy of knowyourmobile

AVG

The Internet of Things must begin with privacy

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Earlier in January, thousands of attendees and exhibitors descended on Las Vegas for the 2015 Consumer Electronics Show (CES).

One of the most exciting and talked about trends was the mass market arrival of the Internet of Things, something that I have been talking about since August 2013.

The Internet of Things (IoT) is a catch-all term for the growing number of Internet enabled devices in our lives. If you wear an activity tracker, have a smart Nest thermostat, or remote access CCTV in your home, these are all part of the IoT.

What we saw at CES was a potential glimpse into the future. We saw smart dog bowls, smart baby monitors and even Belty, a smart belt.

Belty

Image courtesy of stuff.tv

 

Apart from excitement, all smart devices have something in common, they create data. They generate data that helps us as users to take more steps each day, brush our teeth for the required time, not forget to water our plants etc.

All this data is very useful but it is also very real privacy concern. In fact, shortly after CES, the chairwoman of Federal Trade Commission Edith Ramirez warned that privacy and security should be a key consideration as we add more devices to the Internet of Things.

She outlined three major concerns brought about by the IoT:

  • ubiquitous data collection
  • the potential for unexpected uses of consumer data that could have adverse consequences
  • heightened security risks

 

I couldn’t agree more with Ramirez, as we have seen with voice recognition technologies, the connected world of the IoT has witnessed a land grab. Companies are developing smart devices as quickly as possible and putting them out into the market without proper consideration for what is safe or how data should be used responsibly.

The line between our connected lives and physical lives is more blurred with each passing year and we must change the way we view data and personal information.

I don’t believe that collecting data is a bad thing, in fact its data collection that allows many of the web’s most popular services to function at all. What I do insist on, however, is that data collection is transparent, easy to understand and most important of all, consensual.

People have come to learn that their data has value, and they should be the ones to decide who they share it with, and how it can be used.

AVG

The web gets ready for voice recognition

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News broke earlier in January that Facebook has acquired Wit.ai, an 18 month old startup that specializes in voice recognition technology. At first, this might seem like a strange move but upon closer inspection, the rationale is clear.

Millions of users are turning to mobile as their preferred platform, where typing long messages and interacting with friends is far more challenging than on a PC keyboard.

It’s clear that companies like Facebook face a challenge to make mobile interaction easier and more engaging.

Using Wit.ai’s expertise, Facebook can build a mobile-first platform with a voice activated interface and text-to-speech messaging some obvious steps.

The Facebook acquisition highlights the excitement and potential behind voice recognition technology. We are potentially witnessing a fundamental shift in the way we interact with our technology forever.

As we start integrating voice activated functionality into new smart devices and services we use on a daily basis, my primary concern isn’t one of convenience but of security.

As I wrote in this blog in September 2014, there is much work to be done in securing our digital devices from voice commands.

Most voice recognition technologies scan commands for meaning and then execute them. I believe there is a need for an additional step, one of authentication.

Does the person issuing the command have the authority to do so? When I ask the device to execute a command, does it validate that it is really me and not someone else?

As I demonstrate in the below video, it is quite simple to have a device act upon a voice command issued by a synthetic voice or by a 3rd party that has an access to the device – even remotely:

Video

Voice hacking a device

 

As Facebook and other leading companies add more voice activation technologies to their roadmap, it’s important to realize that we are also increasing the number of services and devices that are potentially vulnerable to voice attacks. So considering this, , let’s build it with safety in mind.

AVG

Thoughts from CES: The physical world is becoming digital

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As a long-time attendee of CES, I tend to look forward to it with both excitement and trepidation. As it gets bigger each year, it steadily becomes busier and more difficult to physically get around and take it all in.

This year, I walked away from the show thinking we finally have reached a point where smart digital tech doesn’t just sit within a specific market or category any more. Instead, it’s finally become ubiquitous and is now being embedded throughout our everyday lives.  It was evident at the show that we are truly in the “smart” and “Internet of Things” era.

IoT

Image courtesy of GigaOm

 

Shawn DuBravac, chief economist for the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA), identified this phenomenon as the ‘digitization of physical space”, “permeation of logic” and the “Internet of Me”.

Regardless of what you call it, CES 2015 showed me that innovation in connected technology is now everywhere – from baby pacifiers to dog bowls, home appliances to, of course, the self-driving car.

As always, we must remember that  as fascinating as they are, many of the products at CES are in the prototype phase –and many will never reach the wider market. But nonetheless, it’s always interesting to observe and try to gauge what we may have in store a few years down the line.

This year I was fortunate enough to also be exhibiting at CES as part of the Lifelong Tech and Family Tech Summits. AVG exhibited many of our family-focused products (including our Location Labs, Privacy Fix, and Zen products) in the Sands Expo Hall.

We were surrounded by all things smart and wearable for health, fitness, education and families. It was a fascinating and highly trafficked place to be where the digitization of everything and the Internet of Things was on display in full force.

Where it will all go from here in the year ahead, will be, not doubt, rooted in practicality. For example, let’s take that baby pacifier I mentioned.

The Pacif-i, a “smart” baby pacifier designed by U.K.-based Blue Maestro was a big hit. This product connects to parents’ smartphones via Bluetooth, and alters them to situations such as as when their baby is running a fever. In this instance, smart devices are creating very useful and valuable information to help parents.

Then at the other end of the spectrum were many fun, novelty and me-too items (names I’ll withhold) whose value will need to be proven…

It’s an exciting new world that we’re embarking upon. But it also reminds us that our privacy and security is increasingly paramount. That’s why we at AVG are continually looking at the trends and what we can do to help you guard and defend your data, devices and “digital” selves.

 

Title image courtesy of gospelherald

AVG

How technology will change the way we behave in 2015

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As 2014 comes to an end, it is time to look ahead to 2015. This year though, rather than give my predictions about emerging technology, my mind is drawn to our behavior and the changing the way we actually interact with technology.

There are three areas in which I foresee the most change during 2015 thanks to increased public interest and acceptance:

 

We will start using privacy based solutions

The discussion about privacy; my right to be me and own my data has been gaining momentum in the last five years. We are rapidly losing control over our personal data and identities in today’s fast moving digital world. The advertising world collects ever more data to try and predict our needs based on who we are and our behavior. 2014 has shown us that our online identity isn’t safe from advertisers, hackers or even governments.

So the problem of who controls my identity becomes more and more interesting to the actual owners – each and every one of us. . Laws around how to keep and secure data, and restrictions about sharing it are on the way through movements like the Right to Be Forgotten.

In the passing year we have seen lots of solutions focusing on sharing using “Privacy by design” to be the key feature, apps like Snapchat , Whisper, Secret, Tinder, Tumblr, the Silent circle messaging and their Blackphone. These applications are chat, photo sharing and social media where the privacy and trust is built in.

So the market demand for privacy oriented solutions is there and the technology has existed for several years. The missing key ingredient that will drive it into the mass market is how business can make money from privacy. In the next year I expect to see more and more monetization concepts to make money from solutions that provide anonymity and privacy. The market demand is there and the technology is there…

 

 

We will fall in love with electronics (again)

Since the 90’s, the idea of a connected smart home has excited millions. The idea of an electric light that will turn on when you step in the room and you can close with a clap is not new. But it is only in the last year that the idea of Internet of Things has really started to be feasible.

The good news is that electronics are back and so is software. After all it is through software that we interact with devices and makes them seem exciting and new. Over the last 15 years we have tried to create value in software by adopting various business models. From the Freemium model, giving limited functionality and then charge when features are added through the models that monetize through Google Ads and search up to the SaaS models where it is not the software you pay for but a service that comes with it…

In 2014, we saw Fitbit emerge as a leading wearable device, and a big part of this is software that makes it seem very personal to every one of us. It was the same with the GoPRo camera – transferring a simple camera into high end extreme sports filming equipment. In 2015 I expect many devices will evolve to become connected and take on new roles in our digital world. Software will be an important factor in deciding which devices are successful, it’s through software that devices become personal and relatable.

 

 

We will search less and discover more

Since the beginning of the internet, search has taken a cardinal place in our interaction with data. First Yahoo and then Google made sure our homepage is a search page.

Microsoft went on and translated this behavior into the application on the PC, and now we have a search box almost in everything and everywhere…

With Adwords technology Google cracked the way to monetize search behavior. The search term that the user enters translated to ads that the user wants at that moment.

Smartphones arrived and quickly become a main vector for search, both of the Internet and of ever growing app stores. Importantly they also heralded the arrival voice recognition technologies and of voice search. But as technology advances there is a quest to predict the search. To analyze requests and behavior so that the information we seek is already there waiting for us. We can see it in action with programs like Google Now that collects information about you from a range of sources and tries to predict what you need, whether it’s directions to work, your flight times that day or what the weather will be like.

But in less obvious move, many successful mobile apps have removed the search field and actually providing people with suggestions or things to discover as a way increasing engagement as well as servicing and increasing the value of apps and services.

There are many examples of this discovery mechanic in online news where services like Outbrain and Tabula offer more content to people who read news, and monetize through pay-per-click

Other examples of discovery replacing search are popular apps like Instagram, Flipboard and Facebook where people are encouraged to roam and discover news, pictures or friends.

Perhaps the best example of this is Tinder where rather than searching for match, the app makes constant suggestions that the user accepts or rejects

 

I think in 2015 we will see this trend getting stronger and more apps and services will increase the promotion of content to their customers as a way to keep them interested in using the application or service.

 

AVG

Is lack of trust limiting the potential for new online services?

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If you do any or all of these, do you ever stop to think about whether you can trust these online services with your private data like bank details, personal health information, on top of the usual address and date of birth?

With the rapid development and uptake of the Internet of Things, 2015 is set to be the year where the choice of connected devices and services will really take off. With an estimated two billion new people coming online in the next four years across the world, the consideration of who they can trust with their data online has never been more relevant.

Building trust online isn’t as easy as it sounds. It involves every one of us, as individual web users, businesses leaders, policy makers and governments. It’s an agreement of rights and responsibilities on both end-user and provider sides of connected services.

With mobile being the most accessible and affordable means to connect to the Internet for billions of people in developing economies, the telecoms industry at large is going to have a very large role to play in building trust. This means anyone who is providing a mobile service or product needs to be part of this debate.

AVG’s CEO Gary Kovacs recently took part in a debate at GSMA’s Mobile 360 event on the steps needed to build a digital future for Europe. He outlined three principles that the industry must consider in this area.

First, we can’t expect users to simply understand the implications of going online for public services. The industry has a responsibility to help educate the web’s newest arrivals to understand the implications what they do online. Personal data is traded and marketed, and individual privacy can be eroded both with express user knowledge and without.

AVG recently attended the Clinton Global Initiative and announced its Smart User Mission which aims to help first time smartphone users better understand how their data and privacy is affected by the apps and services that they use. The main aim is to help consumers understand that sharing data is not bad; it simply needs to be consensual.

Smart User Iniative

Second, understanding and consenting to personal data exchange bring us to another issue; transparency. At some stage, we’ve all blindly accepted privacy and usage policies for apps and services. Businesses must take steps to become more transparent about their data policies and give users a clear explanation of how their data will be used. AVG has already done this with its Short Data Privacy Notice for its mobile apps but we recognize there is always more that can be done.

Finally, whatever actions the industry takes, we have to enforce it; it has to have teeth and it has to matter if it is to be meaningful. The need to grow consumer trust with the next generation of online services represents the next obstacle in our connected journey and the framework we work to put in place today will set the tone for users’ experiences online in the future.

Image courtesy of GSMA