Ever wondered what those tiny devices around you that do? Well, if you do notice it, it is an IoT device that collects real-world information from you to help apps gather information from you. Good thing people from Researchers at Carnegie Mellon have come up with this new IoT Assistant app.
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What can it do
The general idea of this app is that when you're near an IoT device, you just open up the app and learn what it is about or what it can do. Finally, you can choose if you want to participate or, more importantly, opt out of the service to protect your privacy if you so choose. Simple right? Indeed it is.
What prompted the development of the app
It launched this week, and the patent is still pending. However, it's free for all to use both in Android and Apple devices can take advantage of its unique feature.
"Because of new laws like the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), people need to be informed about what data is collected about them, and they need to be given some choices over these processes," says Professor Norman Sadeh, a CyLab faculty member in Carnegie Mellon's Institute for Software Research and the principal investigator on the project.
"We have built an infrastructure that enables owners of IoT technologies to comply with these laws, and an app that takes advantage of this infrastructure to empower people to find out about and control data collected by these technologies."
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What really is an IoT
The internet of things or commonly known just as IoT, is a network of devices that generally don't need human interaction for it to work but still collects data to servers and networks of companies for specific purposes. Connected via wireless connections like wifi or even through networks, it can easily store information regarding a number of things.
Why do I need to protect myself
If you don't know already, there are billions of IoT devices around the world right now. Yes, it is B for billion, and no, it is not a typo. This IoT gathers data without your consent and is widely criticized, but companies are making their devices as inconspicuous as possible to let it naturally blend in the area where it was installed.
What's the purpose of IoT anyway
Now it's not all bad when it comes to the formation of IoT. It makes the world around us smarter and more responsive. It does so by connecting all these different devices and adding sensors that add a level of digital intelligence, so to speak, that would be otherwise dumb. Then enables them to communicate in real-time without the help of humans at all. Well played, IoT, well played.
As the age of the progress is upon us, it is still important to be able to decide what parts of the progress you as an individual want to be in. Get ready to see more IoT devices and thank the developers of this app that protect the privacy you so closely guard.
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