Wednesday, February 11, 2015

The value of being a Luddite

Luddite

1. One who fears technology (or new technology, as they seem pleased with how things currently are...why can't everything just be the same?)

2. A group led by Mr. Luddite durring the industrial revolution who beleived machines would cause workers wages to be decreased and ended up burning a number of factories in protest

A luddite generally claims things were "just fine" back in the day, and refuses to replace/update failing equipment/software/computers on the basis that they were just fine 10 years ago

Source: urbandictionary.com

Also it causes all, both small and great, both rich and poor, both free and slave, to be marked on the right hand or the forehead, so that no one can buy or sell unless he has the mark, that is, the name of the beast or the number of its name. This calls for wisdom: let the one who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man, and his number is 666.

Revelation 13:16 - 18

Much has been made in the last week regarding Samsung's smart television. A handy feature allows you to use voice commands to change channels, just in case you happen to lose the remote control. Unfortunately, as stated in the fine print in the manual, the microphone that picks up the channel command will also pick up any speech within the reach of the device. More than that, the recordings will be transmitted to a third party.

Yes, that "cool factor" that made you buy that television is enabling massive data mining and putting your personal information at risk.

It isn't just Samsung. As the so-called "Internet of Things" continues to invade our lives, it is becoming more and more difficult to keep our personal data, well, personal.

For as long as I've had a smart phone, I've refused to enable the location function. It's true that it may be an issue should I be vocally incapacitated and need to call 911 (and I'm sure there are other ways for them to determine my location in that situation), but I'm not thrilled with the number of applications that insist they need that location data as well.

For instance, last night I wanted to know the flavor of the day at Culvers. If it were a favorite, I'd swing past after work and buy a pint. The Culvers app on my phone (don't judge - what apps do you have on your phone?) came up and I discovered that unless I enabled the location function, the app would not find my local Culvers.

Needless to say, I didn't have ice cream last night.

It's not just phones and televisions. Wireless technology is creeping into everything. Cars? You can now buy one with its own personal wireless system. Refrigerators, ranges, home thermostat systems...the list goes on.

This article, while lengthy, does a great job of highlighting the risks of an always-connected society. At the rate at which the tech is expanding, it may soon become almost impossible to opt out.

What does this have to do with the mark of the beast? Everything. The next logical step after installing this technology in all the things is to install it in all the people. This isn't a science fiction, future times dream: the technology exists today. It's not so much a question of "can we?", but more "when will we?". All it takes is a society that has been inured to the dangers and sold on the convenience factor.

I'd say we are pretty much there.

5 comments:

melissa said...

I hear you. Don't have my location set on my not so smart phone either. Creeps me out.

Diane said...

Exactly. And those "check in" things, where it updates on social media where you are? Um, great feature for a single woman. Nothing like telling the thieves when they can rob with impunity.

Unknown said...

When we bought a new TV, I wasn't interested in a smart model, as I've built the devices that have that same functionality.

I don't mind the location services on my phone, but I'm careful about what I intentionally post.

Diane said...

I'm careful, but once things are out in the world, it's much too easy for others to repost, often with no harmful motive, and release things out into the world. That's why my FB security is set as tightly as that stupid site will let me set it.

Yet on my own stinking blog I have to prove I'm not a robot every single time I comment.

Anonymous said...

I reckon that I'm dead, or at least for the camps, already. So should I try to curtail and mitigate? Or should I go all in?