News of the Cyber World

[kyonides]

Some Texans shocked to find

their smart thermostats were raised remotely

Something unusual happened in Texas a few days ago.

Some said they didn't know their thermostats were being accessed from afar until it was almost 80 degrees inside their homes.
Many of them claim someone has been turning up the temperature on their thermostats since the energy shortage began.
...
His wife received an alert on her phone soon after that. The family said their thermostat had been changed remotely, raising the temperature of their home during a three-hour “energy saving event.”
The family’s smart thermostat was installed a few years ago as part of a new home security package. Many smart thermostats can be enrolled in a program called "Smart Savers Texas." It's operated by a company called EnergyHub.
The agreement states that in exchange for an entry into sweepstakes, electric customers allow them to control their thermostats during periods of high energy demand. EnergyHub’s list of its clients include TXU Energy, CenterPoint and ERCOT.
English said he unenrolled their thermostat as soon as he found out.

A nice experiment indeed.
 I seriously doubt any responsible parent would love to go through the same situation and risk his or her family like that just because IoT sounds taunting at first. Please keep your internet connection for stuff that really needs it (and won't be able to spy on you).