Appliance Makers Sad That 50% of Customers Won't Connect Smart Appliances I saw this recent thread at DSLR https://www.dslreports.com/forum/r3...0-of-Customers-Won-t-Connect-Smart-Appliances It points to: https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/202...ain-disconnected-from-internet-makers-lament/ and https://tech.slashdot.org/story/23/...50-of-customers-wont-connect-smart-appliances "Appliance makers like Whirlpool and LG just can't understand. They added Wi-Fi antennae to their latest dishwashers, ovens, and refrigerators and built apps for them -- and yet only 50 percent or fewer of their owners have connected them. What gives? ..." (PS: But where to post this? Here in the hardware subforum or in one of the privacy subforums?)
Exactly! Low life sneaking snoops can play that stupid game on theirselve's. Working people have caught on to that ****** from them in the name of technology and don't want it in their appliances. Or any other place else for that matter in their home.
^^^This^^^ Clearly the marketing weenies for these manufacturers are spinning the spin! The above is all true. Those are very convenient features the manufacturers can, indeed, provide - given that all these appliances are so dependent on computer technologies. As others have noted, manufacturers have taken advantage of these features to also collect personal information (spying?) on their users - information they don't need to keep those products working properly. But sadly, bad guys have learned how to exploit many of these features. Ring doorbell and "smart" security cameras have been hacked and/or the accounts behind those devices were hacked. Smart thermostats have been hacked and HVAC systems shut down or set to super hot or cold. Other appliances have been hacked, providing the bad guys a backdoor into our networks. While these problems are mostly in past as security has been significantly tightened - the bad guys (many of whom are very clever) are still trying to get in. And it would be arrogant (and reckless) to assume they can't. But there's another reason these manufacturers are sad - extra revenue from ads they want to foist on us through these smart devices. Frankly, I worry about the 50% of users who do allow their new appliances to connect. I have to wonder how many of those folks are still using the default passwords, or use their street address or dog's name?
