Smart grid presents an opportunity to improve reliability and security but also requires constant vigilance and proactive steps to address new risks to automated metering. A feature in Transmission & Distribution World’s July issue addresses cyber security and how it is critical to keeping the lights on. The article, by two experts in cyber security Continue reading →
privacy
Westerville City Council will delay final approval of a plan to purchase and install digital electronic meters – also called smart meters – until Sept. 7. Citing public concerns about the proposal, Westerville City Council on July 20 postponed a third reading and vote on funding for the meters in order to give residents more Continue reading →
“Smart grid” technologies are designed to give utility companies greater control over household energy use, enabling them to smooth power demand surges and reduce overall use. These technologies focus on home power meters that can display energy use in real time to consumers, and allow the meters to wirelessly communicate with the power companies, helping Continue reading →
The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) has warned energy suppliers to carefully handle customer data held on new smart meters. The agency said it will be keeping a close eye on how domestic and business energy providers use the raft of private information stored in the devices amid security concerns. via energyhelpline.com – ICO warns energy Continue reading →
Imagine a device that could tell an observer everything you do in your home, down to how often you eat microwave dinners, how often you wash your towels, even what brand of washer-dryer you wash them in. If you're one of millions of consumers who's had a “smart meter” installed as part of a nationwide Continue reading →
Vulnerable passwords, financial records or personal data are likely what first comes to mind when thinking of cyber-privacy and cyber-security. But if recent reports are to be believed, the newest and most pervasive threat to personal privacy could be the smart meter that public utilities departments are increasingly using to measure electricity consumption. The U.S. Continue reading →
A watchdog has said it will keep a close eye on energy companies over personal data held on smart meters. The devices, which show exactly how much gas and electricity is being used in a household, could contain a raft of private information. via BBC News – Smart meters: Privacy warning over personal data.
The smart grid may indeed become an opportunity that’s bigger than the Internet, but like the Internet, it won’t be without its stumbling blocks. Fortunately for us, some web pioneers are unwittingly providing utilities and energy management firms with an education on privacy, one of the thornier issues affecting online businesses today. via Study Web Continue reading →
Over the past several years, social scientists have had a field day studying the vast libraries of digital records that are produced as a happy byproduct of society’s increased use of electronic systems. Anonymized cell phone records have given us new perspectives on human mobility. Logs from virtual worlds like Everquest and World of Warcraft Continue reading →
Privacy advocates are warning that “smart meters” intended to precisely measure and control home electrical consumption could erode the privacy of daily life unless regulators limit data collection and disclosure. In a joint filing this week, the Center for Democracy & Technology (CDT) and the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) urged the California Public Utilities Commission (PUC) to Continue reading →
The ebb and flow of gas and electricity into your home contains surprisingly detailed information about your daily life. Energy usage data, measured moment by moment, allows the reconstruction of a household’s activities: when people wake up, when they come home, when they go on vacation, and maybe even when they take a hot bath. Continue reading →
There has been discussion about privacy questions raised by the “smart grid,” where utilities would be able to collect granular data about consumers’ energy consumption — down to the daily electricity use by the fridge in your kitchen or the TV in your bedroom. The benefits could include more consumer control over usage, more efficient Continue reading →
Do you want your fridge talking about you behind your back? With the rapid adoption of a North American “smart grid” aimed at helping consumers conserve electricity, it’s also possible that smart appliances will be able to transmit information about their activities (and yours) through the power lines. Your electricity utility may not yet be Continue reading →
In Washington, where big brains often confront such matters, it’s understood that a smart grid rollout could overwhelm current safeguards for privacy and data security. News that the government is working on it may calm some fears — or might not, depending on one’s faith in federal initiatives. via Feds Moving Forward on Smart Grid Continue reading →
Privacy experts are concerned about a myriad of security risks associated with the latest “Smart Meter” technology -devices that when installed would measure the level of personal power usage in homes and businesses. Privacy expert and Executive Director of ACCESS, Jim Malmberg, offers his insight on this issue to help raise awareness and urge readers Continue reading →
New technologies challenge our ability to manage them. Do you recall that many users of social networks like MySpace and Facebook were chagrined to discover that their personal information has achieved immortality on the Internet? In many cases, users failed to appreciate the ramifications of their decisions about sharing information. The harm in some cases Continue reading →
One of the speakers I enjoyed hearing at the Smart Grid Summit was Catherine Thompson, who spoke on the Privacy and Security session. Catherine is the Regulatory and Policy Advisor at the Ontario Information and Privacy Commissioner’s Office. We all know there are many privacy issues associated with smart grid, but we don’t often get Continue reading →
Zack Kaldveer, Communications Director, Consumer Federation of California and author of the blog Privacy Revolt, has a commentary on the California Progress Report that provides an overview of the smart grid system and its privacy implications that could be a good overview for those first trying to understand the issue. via Privacy Challenges and Implications Continue reading →
My good friend Ann Cavoukian, Ontario’s privacy commissioner, has co-authored a new report that highlights the potential privacy breaches that could result as we move toward a smart grid infrastructure, one that will certainly have dozens of applications layered on top with the capability of capturing information about how and when we use electricity. It Continue reading →
I appreciate The Post making us aware of the move toward smart grid meters. And while you did a fair job of assessing some of the potentials problems and issues associated with this new technology, it seems to me you missed the most obvious concern. You stated that one of the benefits of this new Continue reading →
