Are you ready for a future where not just your smartphone, desktop, laptop computer or tablet is connected to the Internet but also your cars, electronic appliances(home theatre, TV etc.), lights in household and commercial environments, alarm clocks, speaker systems, washing machines, microwaves, sandwich makers/toasters, blenders etc. are connected to the Internet?
In the
near future, you may no longer need to remember to turn the oven off when the
cake is done or switch on lights when you enter a room. Your home will do it
for you. These products are part of the Internet of Things (IoT), aimed at
automating our lives by connecting mobile devices to appliances, lights, and
just about everything.
The
Internet of Things (IoT) refers to the ever-growing network of physical objects
that feature an IP address for internet connectivity, and the communication
that occurs between these objects and other Internet-enabled devices and
systems. IoT extends internet connectivity beyond traditional devices like
desktop and laptop computers, smartphones and tablets to a diverse range of
devices and everyday things that utilize embedded technology to communicate and
interact with the external environment, all via the Internet.
Simply
put, IoT is a computing concept that describes a future where every day
physical objects will be connected to the Internet and be able to identify
themselves to other devices. Most of
us think about being connected in terms of computers, tablets and smartphones.
IoT describes a world where just about anything can be connected and
communicate in an intelligent fashion. In other words, with the IoT, the
physical world will become one big information system.
It describes a situation where everything in our surrounding environment is made capable of automatically communicating with each other without any inter-human or human-to-machine interaction. Apart from the fact that it is a path-breaking discovery, it can also prove to be extremely beneficial in facilitating our lives to manifolds.
Despite
the enormous benefits, IoT might raise some privacy and security concerns. The
risks inherent in our Internet-connected lives and IoT are brought into sharp
focus by the movie: Ratter. Ratter is an acronym for a type of malware known as a Remote Access Trojan, an unwittingly
downloaded program that provides a hacker with undetected access to a user’s
Internet-enabled devices. The ratter can then manipulate programs and files, as
well as operate camera and microphone functions, enabling video and audio
access to the victim’s activities.
In the
movie; Ratter, Emma is determined to make a fresh start as she moves from the
Midwest of America to rent a spacious apartment in Brooklyn, New York and begin
grad school, Emma never suspects that everything she does within view of her
laptop, phone or webcam is being watched and recorded by an unknown stalker who
has electronically hijacked her devices. Whether she’s prepping meals in her
kitchen, settling into bed at night or showering with her laptop playing music
in the background, Emma’s always-online lifestyle is fully revealed to the
ratter.
At the
same time, she begins receiving random blocked calls and text messages, which
her friend Nicole dismisses as typical misdialed numbers and tech glitches.
When her laptop starts acting up, Emma takes it to a repair shop but apparently
there’s nothing amiss, although she does change her passwords as a precaution.
An unexpected call from a blocked number turns out to be her jilted, bitter ex-boyfriend
Alex, leading Emma to wonder if he’s the one who’s been anonymously harassing
her.
She dismisses
the thought however, since things are going so well with Michael, the new guy
she’s been dating, until an online chat session becomes way too creepy and Emma
breaks things off, concerned that even he might be targeting her. It’s all part
of the ratter’s escalating plan to isolate her from friends and family, even as
he becomes more aggressive, breaking into her apartment and observing her while
she sleeps. As his threatening behavior escalates and Emma’s stress level
spikes, her parents urge her to move to a new apartment, but with the ratter
monitoring her every move, message and phone call, a change of location isn’t
likely to provide much respite or increased security.
In a selfie-obsessed culture motivated by
the urge to document everything and perhaps even achieve fleeting viral
celebrity, the unpleasant possibilities articulated by the movie, Ratter, are
alarmingly immediate and unnervingly reinforced by news accounts of hijacked
webcams and hacked cellphones betraying unsuspecting users.
