# The "Internet of Things" - good or evil

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-internet-of-things-good-or-evil/679385>\
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion\
**Created:** [January 21, 2014, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-internet-of-things-good-or-evil/679385 "2014-01-21T18:44:56Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\
**Post date:** [January 21, 2014, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-internet-of-things-good-or-evil/679385/1 "2014-01-21T18:44:56Z")

</div>

I don’t know if this belongs in GD or here, but it’s mostly likely an opinion thread. The “Internet of Things” ([Wiki link](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_of_Things)) is a relatively new idea. It presupposes that at some point, most consumer items on the planet will have some sort of implanted chip that will track inventory and accomplish other things.

> [@](#):
>
> According to Gartner there will be nearly 26 billion devices on the Internet of Things by 2020.[9] According to ABI Research more than 30 billion devices will be wirelessly connected to the Internet of Things (Internet of Everything) by 2020.

Most of it will likely be benign, but it would seem that the possibility for further intrusion into our privacy is likely. One suggested use would be to have a chip embedded in the caps of your prescription meds, so that your doctor would know if you’re taking them.

It seems that it is a foregone conclusion that all this will happen rapidly and is already going on. Intel has established its own Department of the Internet of Things to pursue R&D, and it’s estimated that this will be a multi-trillion dollar industry by 2020 or earlier. Compare this to the $700 billion made by Silicone Valley in its heyday. A hell of an investment opportunity in companies like Intel and Cisco.

So. . .any thoughts on all this? Good, bad, evil?

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![dracoi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/90db22/32.png) [@dracoi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dracoi)\
**Post date:** [January 21, 2014, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-internet-of-things-good-or-evil/679385/2 "2014-01-21T21:15:17Z")

</div>

Overall, it sounds good to me.

Just look at prescription pills - how many people have major complications to their treatment because they don’t take all their pills on the right schedule? And we think older people when this comes up, but I’m guessing there’s more than a few babies resulting from missed birth control pills.

As with all technologies, it’s not the technology that is good or bad, but how it is used. Is there the potential for abuse? Absolutely. But for every identity thief who steals your prescription data, there’ll be someone living a higher quality of life because they took the right pills at the right time. We’ll have to create a system of laws and safeguards to minimize the downside while maximizing the benefits and there will be some mistakes and abuses, but life will improve overall.