Internet of Things explained for beginners, by a beginner

According to Microsoft, Oracle or IBM (just for quoting some examples), Internet of Things (a.k.a. IoT) is a giant network which includes any device connected to it and has the ability to collect data and exchange that data over the internet in real time. And when I say “any device” I mean “any device”: it can be not only a PC or a smartphone but also a car, a television, an air conditioner or a toothbrush. Any device. An IoT system has 3 components:
1) Smart devices: these devices collect data from their environment, patterns of usage or user’s inputs and deliver the data to and from their IoT application.
2) IoT application: it’s a set o services and software which integrates the received data from the smart devices. It uses artificial intelligence or machine learning to analyze and to process the data and it takes given decisions which are retrieved to the devices and these respond to the inputs.
3) Graphic User Interface (GUI): the devices can be managed through a GUI

Acknowledgement of privacy and security concerns

Obviously, nothing is perfect in the world, and Internet of Things is not the exception. There are several issues of privacy and security. For instance, a lack of security could enable intruders to access and misuse personal information collected and transmitted to or from the device. Users can use a smart TV to surf in the web just like in a computer -log in social media, share, purchase, etc-. A security vulnerability could leak personal information as passwords, financial information, interests and some more data, hacker could take a chance on these leaks to steal information or commit fraud. And the more the number of devices connected in the user’s house, the vulnerabilities increase. A security issue in a device could give access to the network which it’s connected, and as consequence of it, another devices connected to the same network could be attacked. Some identified privacy issues are the collection of sensitive personal information, like health information, the precise geolocation, or financial account numbers. Also the collection of personal information like habits, locations, and physical conditions over time, which may allow an entity that has not directly collected sensitive information to infer it -nowadays it’s very common to hear how political campaigns make profit of information shared in social media by users-. According to a research made by the Federal Trade Commission in 2013, it is proven that “smartphone sensors can be used to infer a user’s mood; stress levels; personality type; bipolar disorder; demographics (e.g., gender, marital status, job status, age); smoking habits; overall well-being; progression of Parkinson’s disease; sleep patterns; happiness; levels of exercise; and types of physical activity or movement”. Those inferences could be used to improve the user experience but also could have some malicious intentions. Another risk is that manufacturers could “eaversdrop”, intruding the private space of their customers.