call it Right to Repair’s “Summer of Love.” Summer 2019 saw developments on a number of fronts in the nation-wide battle to win a digital right to repair. In this podcast, we talk with Nathan Proctor of US PIRG’s Right to Repair campaign and Kyle Wiens of iFixit about the developments.
In-brief: research by the security firm Rapid7 has uncovered security flaws in new, interactive “smart toys” by Fisher Price and other toy makers that could divulge personal information related to children and their families. Editor’s note: this story was updated to include comments from Mark Stanislav of Rapid7. PFR Feb 2, 2016.
In-brief: Experts on the security of the Internet of Things warned that lax security and privacy protections are rampant in connected home products, but consumers have no way of knowing whether the products they buy are easy targets for hackers.
In-brief: The FTC issued a report on Tuesday that provides guidance to U.S. businesses on protecting consumers’ privacy and security in the design and deployment of “Internet of Things” devices.
The Wall Street Journal reports on an address that FTC Chairwoman Edith Ramirez gave to the folks out at CES, the Consumer Electronics Show, in Las Vegas. From the report: “Ramirez outlined several concerns including ubiquitous data collection, or the ability of sensors to collect sensitive personal information about consumers all the time and in real time; unexpected uses of consumer data, such using individual energy use patterns to set their homeowners’ insurance rates; and cybersecurity threats. “She also noted opportunities. ‘Whether it’s a remote valet parking assistant, which allows drivers to get out of their cars and remotely guide their empty car to a parking spot; a new fashionable bracelet that allows consumers to check their texts and see reviews of nearby restaurants; or smart glucose meters, which make glucose readings accessible both to those afflicted with diabetes and their doctors, the IoT has the potential to transform […]
