I changed my car a couple of weeks ago – same brand but updated and different model, so I was generally used to most of the controls. This card though has a sim card in it which allows you to connect to the Internet and to use Google maps for navigation on the car’s systems, which is very useful.
However, that’s not all. There is a new green lit button in the controls on the roof. When you press it, a small panel opens and reveals a red lit button. If you press this you call the manufacturers call centre directly. They speak to you, but if there is no answer because, for example, you have driven off the road and are sitting unconscious in a ditch – or even are being car jacked – they send all of the emergency services to your location.
This all works using a second “secret” sim card hidden somewhere in the car. And it seems a really great safety feature which I welcome.
It did however make me think more about big data and the internet of things where we are all connected by these sorts of devices. The downside is that our privacy is once again under potential attack. I may not care but somebody can know where I and my car are at any given time. I am in effect giving up some of my privacy in return for an acknowledged benefit –not that I have much control over the sweeping force that is the internet of things.
PricewaterhouseCoopers in a report Sensing the Future of the Internet of Things comment that:
"IoT is transforming the everyday physical objects that surround us into an ecosystem of information that will enrich our lives. From refrigerators to parking spaces to houses, the IoT is bringing more and more things into the digital fold every day, which will likely make the IoT a multi-trillion dollar industry in the near future."
The other challenge is the more that cars are computerised and connected and communicating the more vulnerable they become. Reportedly the theft of cars went down when electronic immobilisers were introduced – and then increased again as hackers found ways to turn them off. I know my new car has all of these security systems but have also bought a stoplock steering wheel lock to act as a physical deterrent.
And even more sinisterly hackers may be able to take over “connected cars”.
This article discusses the vulnerability of cars nowadays with all of their various IT systems. Teams at various universities bought cars and then plugged their computers into the cars and managed to decode and ultimately hijack the car’s software by listening as the computer systems talked to each other.
Still I am going to enjoy and drive my new car regardless because as Bill Gates said: The advance of technology is based on making it fit in so that you don't really even notice it, so it's part of everyday life.
However, that’s not all. There is a new green lit button in the controls on the roof. When you press it, a small panel opens and reveals a red lit button. If you press this you call the manufacturers call centre directly. They speak to you, but if there is no answer because, for example, you have driven off the road and are sitting unconscious in a ditch – or even are being car jacked – they send all of the emergency services to your location.
This all works using a second “secret” sim card hidden somewhere in the car. And it seems a really great safety feature which I welcome.
It did however make me think more about big data and the internet of things where we are all connected by these sorts of devices. The downside is that our privacy is once again under potential attack. I may not care but somebody can know where I and my car are at any given time. I am in effect giving up some of my privacy in return for an acknowledged benefit –not that I have much control over the sweeping force that is the internet of things.
PricewaterhouseCoopers in a report Sensing the Future of the Internet of Things comment that:
"IoT is transforming the everyday physical objects that surround us into an ecosystem of information that will enrich our lives. From refrigerators to parking spaces to houses, the IoT is bringing more and more things into the digital fold every day, which will likely make the IoT a multi-trillion dollar industry in the near future."
The other challenge is the more that cars are computerised and connected and communicating the more vulnerable they become. Reportedly the theft of cars went down when electronic immobilisers were introduced – and then increased again as hackers found ways to turn them off. I know my new car has all of these security systems but have also bought a stoplock steering wheel lock to act as a physical deterrent.
And even more sinisterly hackers may be able to take over “connected cars”.
This article discusses the vulnerability of cars nowadays with all of their various IT systems. Teams at various universities bought cars and then plugged their computers into the cars and managed to decode and ultimately hijack the car’s software by listening as the computer systems talked to each other.
Still I am going to enjoy and drive my new car regardless because as Bill Gates said: The advance of technology is based on making it fit in so that you don't really even notice it, so it's part of everyday life.
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