I remember trying to buy a TV that does not have "smart" functionality a few years ago. It was a chore. Today it seems impossible.
And not just TVs: ovens; refrigerators; dishwashers — all have "smart" options. In fact, it seems that more and more the available non-smart models are only the simpler ones, less performant in ways that are not related to any smart functionality missing.
My non-smart TV was available only with lower resolutions than "smart" models of the same brand.
1/
This really annoys me. I am too well aware of security implications of smart devices.
I do not want to have to manage regular software updates for whatever number of appliances I have at home, or risk somebody using them in a botnet (or worse).
And no, I don't trust their "disable WiFi" menu options either. Seen this setting get enabled without my consent too many times.
I *could* put them on a special VLAN, but 99% of people can't. That's a problem, and not just for them.
2/
In 2016 a router-based Mirai botnet took down Dyn, one of the biggest online infrastructure companies, and many well known websites with it:
https://coar.risc.anl.gov/mirai-attack-dyn-internet-infrastructure/
Mirai mainly targeted home routers.
As early as 2018 there were already botnets that… used CCTV cameras. But of course the predominant media narrative was "hackers attack" instead of "vendors put us at risk":
https://www.vice.com/en/article/9a355p/hackers-are-using-cctv-cameras-to-create-botnet-swarms
But I digress.
With all this in mind, I started thinking of how could this be solved?
3/
So here's my (silly?) idea: a regulatory requirement for #IoT / smart-appliance vendors to provide either:
a). similarly-priced models physically without the smart functionality but with other performance metrics on-par with their smart models;
or
b). a reliable, verifiable, physical way of disabling smart functionality in their smart-devices.
I want to be able to buy a damn refrigerator without worrying about it joining a botnet! Just ain't cool.
I wonder if this makes any sense!
4/
@rysiek I've just not given my TV the WiFi password, because Android TV is absolute garbage.
@mathew there are smart TVs that automatically connect to any open network they find. So you not giving it a password might not help much.
@rysiek
yep. I'm actually doing this on purpose with my Android TV, letting it connect to the strongest open network which is also part of the Freifunk access point my neighbors and my household maintain (but I know most people don't have a setup like that).
@mathew
For my second smart TV I actually picked Android so I have a better idea what it's doing and what I can set. It's kinda klunky, but since I have no idea what my other TV does (LG, "not" networked) I'm somewhat more comfortable.
(ran out of characters). So, my first smart TV is an LG from a few years ago- it's pretty nice but don't know what's going on at all under the hood so it's only used as a quasi "dumb" tv connected to an htpc.
For the second one (in my office), I wanted to receive local over-the-air networks and many of them have moved to online only so it's a weird hybrid of true OTA and public channel streaming. The Android TV handles both, but it needs to be online, which is a bit annoying.