Connecting everything to the Internet
We are in an age where we start connecting everything to the Internet. Not only our TV can connect to the Internet nowadays. There is already technology to connect lights, cooling systems, surveillance cameras, and much more, to the Internet. Turning your lights on with your smartphone over the Internet is cool, isn't it? You can even do it when you are not at home. You can turn off the air conditioning or lights if you forgot to do so by simply using your smartphone, laptop, or any other machine that is connected to the Internet.
Many people use the Internet. Even if some do not have their own Internet connection at home, they still use a mobile internet connection or at least use it when they are at work or school. And even those who do not use the Internet, are in the Internet. It starts with cards we get from different shops to get discounts. Why do you think you get discounts? Every time you buy something, the item gets stored. When you register such a card, you enter private details, like your real name and address. Now, every time you buy something, they know it was you who bought it. Isn't that a bit scary? No? Well, there is more.
So, you don't use those discount cards? Don't worry, they still know who bought it. The moment you use your credit/debit card to pay, they know who you are. This also applies when you buy a train ticket.
You only pay cash? Clever. For now, that's fine, but that's about to change due to projects like INDECT. But of course, all this is only for the security of citizens.
Actually, this wasn't even what I was out for, INDECT might be a topic for another blog post, but what inspired me to write this one and to open this blog is what Ray Kurzweil said. He prognosed blood cells that are controlled over the Internet in 2050. Yes, blood cells, the things you have in your body. His idea is to kill cancer with a simple software update through the Internet.
Sounds nice, doesn't it? Of course it's a way to fight cancer, but if you think about it, the people who code the software, the company which owns the software, has full control over your body. That's right, they can actually KILL you. Also, imagine they make a mistake. What if there is a bug (mistake/error) in the software that makes the blood cells kill EVERY cell, not only cancer cells.
Okay, of course they'll do lots of testing. But, if you think about it more, it's connected to the Internet, that means, everybody can access it from everywhere. That means, your body could be hacked remotely. <sarcasm>Doesn't that sound great? Awesome thought. </sarcasm>
No system is fully secure. A good example is Mac OSx. Everybody thought there are no viruses for it, but there are. And it's not always only about viruses, there is lots of other malware that can affect your machine. Same goes for Linux, by the way. There are actually already rootkits (malware that has gains full access to your linux machine) for Linux. It's only a matter of time. No matter how secure a system is, if it can be modified by somebody (in the case of bloodcells, the company which does the software updates), it can be modified by everybody.
So basically, as technology progresses, everything will be on the Internet. Result: Everything will be controllable from everywhere, by everyone. A better solution to fight cancer would be temporary blood cells that kill the cancer and then disappear from the body, like normal blood cells (blood cells do not live forever, they die and then new ones are made). If we really want to control our brain, we can do that externally too, we don't need to inject anything into our body.
Actually, there are already ways to stimulate specific sections in the brain, but that's also a topic for another blog post. That's it for now, have fun with nightmares from the "near" future of 2050, when we will read in the news: New exploit for the lungs - The system that cleans the lungs from tar can be exploited to kill a human.