This piece is worth reading if you’re in tech criticism or infosec/cybersecurity and are being asked for commentary on IoT and smart home devices.

People aren’t foolish for using IoT or for wanting things to be easier in their homes. This tech makes positive and meaningful change for people of all kinds of abilities. It’s valid to worry about the privacy or security issues that IoT is riddled with, but don’t draw a direct line from there to blaming the user - some people have no alternatives that don’t involve giving up independent access to their own homes and lives. Everyone deserves to live in ways that fit their needs.

Instead, join the push to hold manufacturers and providers to account for poor security and privacy practices. Advocate for better, more respectful and accessible default configurations. Help people understand how to anticipate and mitigate the worst of these issues when they’re setting things up, and give them power and agency over their home systems.

We all deserve to have tech that works for us, in all the ways that matters.

#accessibility
#a11y #infosec
#cybersecurity
#iot #smarthome

https://www.theverge.com/24080201/smart-home-accessibility-apple-nest-alexa

How smart home technology made my home more accessible

Using one’s phone or voice to flip a light switch may be convenient since you don’t need to get up. For the author and other disabled people, this makes it accessible.

^{Steven Aquino (The Verge)}

A long pending post from @sanchayan on how we implemented ALSA compress offload support in @pipewire

https://asymptotic.io/blog/pipewire-compressed-offload/

#PipeWire #LinuxAudio #Linux #audio #embedded #IOT

✅ Staff able to watch customers in the bathroom?
✅ Obviously shabby infosec?
✅ Training AI as an excuse for data retention?

🕵🏽 No surprise here: "#Amazon Ring, Alexa accused of every nightmare #IoT #security fail you can imagine" #privacy

https://www.theregister.com/2023/06/01/ftc_alexa_ring_amazon_settlement/

Amazon Ring, Alexa accused of every nightmare IoT security fail you can imagine

Staff able to watch customers in the bathroom? Tick! Obviously shabby infosec? Tick! Training AI as an excuse for data retention? Tick!

^{Simon Sharwood (The Register)}