sensors in warehouses keep track of inventory and send data to
company computers. Sensors in buildings monitor electricity use
and send that data to computers as well. Managers can analyze
this data to determine how to run machinery more efficiently,
safely, and cheaply.
Modern cars are equipped with a variety of sensors that
monitor speed, GPS location, gas mileage, tire pressure, and
much more. This data is stored in a computer inside the car.
Previously, only mechanics could access this data, when cars
came into a shop for repair. But modern smartphone apps
allow drivers to connect their phones with their car computers,
providing advance warning of mechanical problems. Such
warnings can keep drivers safer, alerting them when a part
needs to be replaced for continued safe driving, for instance.
The warnings can also save drivers money by prompting them
to take care of minor car maintenance that can prevent major
and expensive repairs. Experts say that by 2020, more than fifty
billion sensors will be connected to the Internet of Things.
The Internet on You
The Internet of Things has also come to clothing and personal
accessories. “A new device revolution is at hand,” writes Bill
Wasik, senior editor at
Wired
magazine. “Just as mobile phones
and tablets displaced the once dominant PC, so wearable
devices are poised to push smartphones aside.”
The Internet has come to watches, eyeglasses, clothing,
and athletic gear. At the 2014 US Open tennis tournament, for
example, the ball boys wore shirts equipped with sensors that
collected data on their heart and breathing rates. The Apple
Watch, introduced in summer 2014, offers many iPhone features,
including messaging, telephoning, and a range of apps, right on
74 Information Insecurity
