Thursday November 19, 2009

Source: http://www.networkcultures.org/_uploads/notebook2_theinternetofthings.pdf

Ambient intelligence is a reality of the present and the future and it's implications can be good or bad. In any case, it attacks the concept of public privacy and forces us to think about the boundaries of our private life. It will allow either the authorities to track you and everything about you, or allow the people to access more information about your life and the world.

For sensor networks, everything is data we must just learn to read it. The ability to read data about the world is new beginning for interactivity. We are moving towards having the environnment as the interface.

Unfortunately, as we move towards this new reality, there are many ethical and technical problems that should be considered. For example, if the public isn't able to interact with the system, will it become afraid of innovation? Will it stall any technological advancement? Will it be able to debate on technology without scandals and lies? Also, do we want to accept a world where there is no memory loss, when we can't know who or what will decide what's wrong?

With rfid and smartcards, we are already in a world where corporations or governements can track everything about you. We must learn to adapt, be aware of the implications and find ways to protect our privacy.