Does Wearable Technology Pose a Threat to Security
The explosion of new wearable technology in the market has got many people excited, and rightly so. On the other hand, its use is also raising concerns, some of which are very real, for instance, whether this new technology could pose a threat to the security of individuals who use them and to businesses as well. The following lines are going to discuss about the matter of security with wearable technology.
Updates
Much like a smartphone, wearable technology also needs to be updated from time to time. And the fact of the matter is that wearable technology is still in its infancy, which means that it is possible that these updates don’t get to the user on time. Furthermore, security patches and updates usually take months from the time when the security issues was discovered to the time that the update has been released. And in the case of wearable technology, that gap will only be wider.
Unsecure Wi-Fi
The newest technology, such as smartwatches use Wi-Fi networks to keep in sync with the mobile devices that they are usually attached with wirelessly. Even with ways to protect one’s VPN, Wi-Fi capabilities still pose a serious concern for security issues. For example, wearable technology often times prompts the user to connect to Wi-Fi networks that are unspecified. Apart from that, some smartwatches even connect to Wi-Fi networks without the proper encryption that is required to preserve one’s data. This kind of unprotected roaming through different Wi-Fi connections can pose a very real threat to the privacy of one’s data.
Uncontrolled Data Mining
Whether it’s a wearable such as the Google Glass or a smartwatch, wearable technology does one thing only and that is to collect as much personal information as it can from the user. This begins the minute you agree to the license agreement which comes along with the wearable technology. While some might say that data mining is just another way of improving the user’s experience, the flip side often times means that your personal data might be in jeopardy.
For instance, the data which is collected via a wearable is then passed along to the companies who then use the information to customize their devices, as well as for expanding their marketing efforts. The same data, that includes information such as a user’s eating or spending habits can be further used for marketing products according to that data.
Proximity Issues
While those who use wearable technology think that they are only de-privatizing their world, in reality they are actually doing the same for others who they come in contact with on a daily basis. Products such as the Google Glass aren’t just capable of recording the habits of the user, but also those who come within close proximity of the user. This poses a risk to the privacy of other people who didn’t actually agree to the license agreement. Although Google has not included facial recognition technology to their eye glasses for now, this doesn’t stop the company or others for that matter from using such technology in the future.
3rd Party Issues
Needless to say, those who are using wearable technology have their health records and data on their every move stored away somewhere. This brings us to the question that if this is so, then how secure is all of that data from the hands of the bad guys. Even though, HIPAA (or federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) has been setup to protect the information related to one’s health, the fact of the matter is that the Department of Health is still to come up with a plan to tackle 3rd party issues when it comes to wearable devices.
Ending Note
These were just some of the areas of concern for many who are not used to wearable technology, so if you are in to experiencing the newest technology, make sure you consider the points mentioned above.