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European Commission Launches Internet of Things Probe Targeting Siri, Alexa and More
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I disagree. If you rent a home with smart devices, you should not be locked into any particular voice assistant.
Many appliances should still work fine 20 years later. Proprietary systems mean people stop using them early - I just recently replaced all my smart lights because there’s no good client available anymore. Luckily lights are only worth hundreds of dollars. Right now I wouldn’t touch an expensive smart device like a HVAC system.
Hopefully this results in a standard like http. Something that will be compatible with everything for the foreseeable future.
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If you’re trying to suggest that every device should work with every assistant - then that’s a very dangerous idea. As a developer I would never code for Google Home, and major corporations like Dyson seem to agree. Alexa and Siri support only will be what you’re getting from us.
The biggest concern right now with IoT is not the big players, it's all the crappy little devices with no security that call home to China every 5 minutes, poking holes in your firewall, and with remote code execution vulnerabilities so they can become part of massive distributed botnets.
Getting locked in to a specific vendor is not great, but the security issues are currently a clear and present danger.
Getting locked in to a specific vendor is not great, but the security issues are currently a clear and present danger.
Well let’s see if they are as eger when brexit realy hits at the start of january 2021, uk food prices are set to rise, exports will be more complicated ( costing uk jobs etc) this on top of the not so briliant handeling of the corona crises by the current clown inhabiting 10, downing st. And his gang in westminster. Oh well the brits did it to them selves, first by woting brexit, and then by electing the conservatives by a landslide (k corbin helped a bit, but still) .That said I feel sorry for those worse off that didn’t vote for either. But I’m off on a rant sorry abot that
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20 years, lets hope no smart devisesremain in service that long, do you realu think any of them will have any kind of software batching vter5 years, and I+
‘m probably being generous here? Wedon’t want a bilion device botnet out there for sny ddoser willing to pay a few hundred( insert rekevant currency)/Tbps. Dont get me wrong smart/iot devices can be fun convinient, and even mildly usefull, but rheyneed to be abke to be ripoed out easily, quicly, and cheply ( this includescost if replacesments) as soon as he sofrware no longer recives updates. Beound that rhe phoning home isanotherlong debate better suited for another theread. Ga above opinions ate mine, I’m in no way an expert on the subject, so jf you are feel free totell me where anf why I’m wrong
It is true that all companies are hunting excessively for data. Any look to what website "cookies" do just shows how the whole thing is lost. it is about time some regulation applied. as always too little too late but It is a start.
No it is nothing to do with flipping video games. Smart devices is about light bulbs, door bells, security cameras, and even baby monitors. It is about protecting consumers if they want to buy a smart baby monitor. The closest it would get to a games console is regarding the standards about controlling a television from another device, such as making it so that if your PS5 can switch on and change the channel of your television, then your Xbox should be able to do the same and televisions should follow a universal standard for it.
What does "Internet of Things" mean?
I think its a noble cause to not make any 1 company control the internet, and quite anti-capitalist. That is not going to happen though, with Google code injected in everything and they hold sole monopoly in somethings like YouTube and Instagram by Facebook, and Amazon runs 40% of the internet. Lets be real here, Microsoft-Google-Yahoo control like 90% of personal email worldwide.
I think its a noble cause to not make any 1 company control the internet, and quite anti-capitalist. That is not going to happen though, with Google code injected in everything and they hold sole monopoly in somethings like YouTube and Instagram by Facebook, and Amazon runs 40% of the internet. Lets be real here, Microsoft-Google-Yahoo control like 90% of personal email worldwide.
It's about preventing the situation where you have to have a specific brands router, phone, television, lightbulbs, fridge, sockets, etc.
It is not about websites.
It is not acceptable for consumers to have to buy specific Homekit only lightbulbs or any other device that only works with one standard. There is a good chance they might also crack down on devices that become useless after the company abandons them, like smart speakers.
Internet of Things in its simplest, most common form, refers to putting processing capability and network interfaces, in things like light bulbs and wall switches (there are many other forms, but this is among the most common). It’s a “thing” that has internet (or other network) capability, as opposed to putting those capabilities in a traditional “computer” (PC, Mac, smart phone, tablet). If you can turn your lights on and off with Siri or Alexa, those are IoT devices (the lights or switches).
The article is about the EU looking to mandate standards for interoperability of IoT devices. Using “Siri” in the title is misleading - Siri’s an “intelligent agent”, software for carrying on a voice conversation with the computer. Apple’s software for controlling IoT devices is HomeKit. Siri just happens to have the ability to issue HomeKit commands.
You are right. The commission will end up forcing a uniform GUI for the sake of interoperability which will be the ultimate monopoly; don't like the interface... tough.
They're elected representatives though. It's always funny when people go into this kind of argument. A company/oligopoly always acts in its best economic interest no matter what. Just. Pure. And. Simple. ROI. An elected representative can act in, between many others -we all know-, your interest, and don't need the contrary to make money.
I don't know why everybody would be suspicious of the government but would trust any multinational (I actually know it: marketing).
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Always better to have a supervised monopoly than a wild west cartel. Big Tech is not the kind of thing you can avoid by "just don't buy it".
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What about the world of IoT that are not controlled by Apple, Google or Amazon? Washing machines, refrigerators, other appliances, medical devices etc...Mr. EU? Or is it just pick on the big guys in the room?
To me as a general comment, the EU appears to be a bunch of busy bodies, targeting things Apple in the tech sector.
To me as a general comment, the EU appears to be a bunch of busy bodies, targeting things Apple in the tech sector.
Of course if you want to stablish a standard all things IoT related you would talk to the likes of whirpool, liebherr or the lg appliances division first. Or maybe blackberry, nokia or siemens.
Apple Google Amazon? Who are those guys? Do they even tech?
That devil EU always messing with our beloved benefactors.
Aha thanks, I thought IoT was a fancy way of saying I.T.(info tech). Whats wrong with companies having their owns standards, this has been the case since forever. Nokia phones had their own chargers, BMW has its own brakes, Apple has its own port, etc
Up to a certain point, proprietary standards are great - each company pushing to make their’s best. After that point, the lack of interoperability becomes a hindrance to widespread adoption of really useful technology.
What if your house, instead of having AC wiring and AC outlets, had Samsung AC wiring and Samsung AC outlets, which only worked with Samsung light bulbs and Samsung appliances, while, say, the houses on the other side of the street had Philips AC wiring and Philips AC outlets and only worked with Philips appliances. Maybe your relatives had LG AC in their house, so when you went to visit, you couldn’t plug in your phone charger.
It’s a huge benefit to the public at large that we have widespread standards for AC electrical connections (well, they’re not worldwide, but countrywide at least - interesting that USB is more universal than any one country’s AC).
So, there’s benefit to mandating standards, but problem is picking the right time to do it. New technology often advances rapidly in its infancy - mandate something too early, and we might have ended up with MiniUSB or full-sized USB-A connectors on phones. But if you don’t draw the line somewhere, you might have ended up with Samsung AC in your house.
Frankly, I’m not sure it’s time yet to mandate standards for IoT devices, because the manufacturers themselves are working on a standard called “Project Connected Home over IP”. It’s probably better to let them work that out, and then, if it’s solid and effective, the governments can put their stamp of approval on that, rather than having a government agency trying to spec a technical standard.
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Exactly.
I honestly believe the EU is trying to throw anything at the wall to make things stick. If the EU really wants to make a difference against monopolistic or controlling internet behaviours ... then ...
1. Why Do I need to register an Outlook.com or Hotmail.com email address in order to access free training on Microsoft Azure and other training for services and applications they vend when I need to learn it for accelerating my job to a new tier (without cost and without involving my workplace to hold such certification that I cannot take elsewhere)?!
Professional and Technical Credentials and Certifications
docs.microsoft.com
2. Why do I need to register a Google account in order to make comments on a Youtube video or participate in the conversation therein? Why not auto generate a random number to make my posts unique for moderation/monitoring against sexist/racial/political debates and hatred? This method doesn't make sense any longer and their algorithms are now shown as flawed.
I don't want:
My personal data shared to other organizations that sell that to third parties without my knowledge of what specific data is shared, and to whom, and to what they'll do with that data!
My personal data collected by other organizations beyond 1st party that I allowed where they profit from it and I do not!
my personal data collected and shared without my ability to view the data clearly and undestandably, and without my ability to limit or purge that data from being collected, collated or shared. I want to delete the content that was collected and shared from ALL parties!
My data nor the connection to the devices I've purchased, owned and connected to the internet with my digital ID representing beyond the first party I've allowed to use that connection/data with to be hacked or ported a connection beyond my knowledge nor can permanently disconnect and prevent from ever connecting again.
Alexa talking through my devices whenever, randomly or secretly from inaudible to human hearing range from someone else known/unknown to me.
This is why, regardless of the appeal of former companies I liked using their cellphones of, or like the design of the newer models I REFUSE to use - due to the misuse of the data and the collection and sharing and profiting of my data from the OS by yet another company (Sony Xperia and Google Android OS).
So ... in short I'm not an prostitute of data to be probed, used, stomped on, and discarded without ever being paid for the service of my data! I'm not digital door mat. You want my personal data ... you ask what specifically you want, when and for how long, and I'll negotiate my price. You don't like my price and restrictions of that data hit the high road (Amazon, Google, EU.).
I see your point, but I guess the problem is where and when to draw the line is the debatable point
It’s really not. It has the majority support of most nations in Europe. Even when Britain decided to leave, the vote was tight, and it took years and 2 more governments for them to get bills passed that would allow for the withdrawing of the EU. No follow up opinion poll said a leave vote would win if people were to vote again on the issue.
On top of this you have other countries wishing to join the EU and many others wanting to make trade deals with the EU. Canada took 10 years to get a trade deal with the EU, that’s how much they wanted in with them.
On the European continent it allows people to move freely between countries without having to convert currency, even to work and live in different countries. Imagine in the US if you lived in say New Jersey, but wanted to work/commute into New York, as many people do. Now imagine saying you needed to get a visa to do that. Imagine saying you needed to go through customs on each of your journeys each day. Imagine saying you had to convert your money and likely pay commission for doing so.
This is what the EU prevented.
The EU with their silly laws like having a standard on chargers is the reason why Android phones by different manufacturers don’t each come with their own charging port that only they use and can’t be used on any other phone.
It is one of the reasons why screw in ligh bulbs have became the standard, and places that have bayonet bulbs like the U.K. will be left behind in regards to smart lighting.
Is there many things they can improve upon? Yes, but before they came along you effectively had a continent always at war with each other.
Indeed.
What I don’t like though, is that it should also allow for the unique non compatible version too. Having the choice as a costumer can only be good.
Example, as a costumer I can choose the market tides protected and compatible lowest common denominator smart lightbulb that works on all platforms, but if I want, and have the money, I would like to have the option to buy the super-duper smart clever Einstein lightbulb that works with the incoming ARM-chips integrated neural engine that can recognize, encrypt and send me a light tap on the AirPods or Apple Watch if I happen to have them on me.