I get the impression there isn’t a middle ground where smart home technology is concerned. It seems like people either hate it or love it. Those who hate it tend to echo a common concern: a lack of digital privacy. They avoid home automation because they do not like the idea of companies like Google, Amazon, and Apple constantly monitoring everything they do.
Such privacy concerns are not completely unfounded. A study published by Surfshark earlier this year reveals that nearly all of the big-name smart home providers continue to collect ever more data on their customers. Hardware collects data. So does software. All that data is analyzed and crunched in ways most of us do not comprehend. It is also sold to the highest bidder.
If that’s a person’s biggest concern about home automation, it is understandable that there would be a natural fear of things like smart speakers and artificially intelligent thermostats. But perhaps people aren’t seeing the big picture.
Privacy Is Nonexistent
I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but privacy is nonexistent in the modern world. Anyone who goes online willingly surrenders at least a little bit of privacy with every session. The more time a person spends online, the less privacy they have. A person’s online activity is constantly tracked and recorded. But it does not end there.
Do you have a smartphone? All of us carrying Android and Apple devices around in our pockets are subject to constant monitoring and tracking. We can be located virtually anywhere in the world thanks to the GPS capabilities built into our phones.
Not only that, but every activity conducted on a phone is monitored and tracked. Play a game, send an email, check your social media feeds – it matters not. Someone or something is always watching.
It Is the Digital Reality
Do not misunderstand the point of this post. I am in no way implying that I support such intrusive behaviors by Big Tech. My only point is that home automation is neither the starting nor ending point of digital privacy issues. Anyone who rejects home automation based solely on privacy doesn’t understand the digital reality in which we live.
Installing a complete smart home system from Vivint Home Security would mean yet another company tracking your activities by monitoring your devices. But there are already Bing Tech companies watching and tracking you. Are you prepared to give up your cell phone and stop going online? Are you prepared to cut up the credit and debit cards and pay cash for everything?
We all take calculated risks when we utilize digital technology. So the real issue for home automation is not the possibility of your privacy being invaded. It is being invaded. That has already been established. The question is whether the risks outweigh the rewards of utilizing home automation.
Convenience, Comfort, and Security
Home automation has three primary components from the consumer’s standpoint: convenience, comfort, and security. A consumer might deploy a smart speaker because it makes finding information online more convenient. He has installed smart lighting and a smart thermostat to make his home more comfortable. Finally, he has added a few video cameras to his system to improve security.
There is no longer any doubt that Big Tech harnesses a tremendous amount of consumer data by way of home automation. If it is too much for you to make that leap to home automation, that’s fine. No one wants to force it on you. But just be aware that your digital privacy is being compromised in other ways.
