The Risks Of Emerging Technologies - 2497 Words

Introduction As technology becomes more advanced, a user can experience the benefits of such technology. Some of the many benefits of new technology include better living, less work having to be done for a given task, and the ability to connect with others much faster. However, if the user is not careful, new technology can also harm the user. This article will explain the risks of emerging technologies by looking at three specific examples of emerging technology and the risks associated with them. The technologies that will be discussed are, Smarthomes, RFIDs, and 3-D printers. Smarthomes A Smarthome is a term for the appliances that are found in the home that can be controlled from apps on a smartphone (Smarthome, n.d.). This means that†¦show more content†¦This can lead to a lot of unnecessary clutter on a device and would lead to storage space on devices being wasted on the different apps. Another issue is with the different amount of apps, the best security is to have multiple passwords. This is a problem because having a bunch of different apps on one’s device will mean â€Å"several passwords to keep track of [and] a lot of software to update on a regular basis† (Newman, 2014). The user either has to keep track of multiple passwords and that can cause confusion or the user has one central password which is highly insecure. Another risk of Smarthomes is that there is a single point of failure. This means that since all the appliances are being controlled by the phone, the phone becomes â€Å"a mission-critical piece of equipment in our everyday lives† (Newman, 2014). This means that if a user were to lose their phone, they would lose access to their appliances through the phone. However, the bigger threat is that if a user were to lose their phone, anyone can pick up their phone and have access to their home. In America, research has shown that â€Å"34 percent of all smartphone owners do absolutely nothing, not even a simple code to lock the screen† (Weisbaum, 2014). This would mean that a Smarthome user loses their phone, any random stranger can have access to their home. Finally, the biggest threat is the potential of hackers. This is because if a hacker got into the system, they can control any controlled