[iot-discussion] What role does the SP play in protecting consumers re IoT?

> On 11 Apr 2017, at 10:36, Victor Reijs <victor.reijs at heanet.ie> wrote:
> 
> I understand that they gave the technology to cut, but in many countries the cutting of utility services is just not allowed (even if the bill is not paid)...

That’s not the issue.

Smart meters make it possible for a utility company’s computers to switch off the power, irrespective of what the national law is. [Prevailing national law will be implementation detail in this context. Just provide the necessary configuration hooks in the IT systems.] Now maybe those computer systems will enforce safeguards to comply with prevailing national law or regulation. Maybe they won’t.

However the underlying concern is (or should be) smart meters introduce a new set of vulnerabilities that previously didn’t exist. There’s now a remote controlled kill switch that’s managed by some utility company's IT systems. If those IT systems misbehave or get compromised -- something that never, ever happens to any IT system, right? -- people are going to be literally frozen out or kept in the dark.

This is part of a bigger concern with IoT stuff more generally. What’s the fall-back for these devices and IT systems when they misbehave or when the interwebs break? Will Marco be able to have toast for breakfast when his Internet connection is down? That particular example doesn’t matter much -- sorry Marco -- but suppose the IoT failure affects a city’s street lighting or a hospital’s pharmacy.