Samsung to release new spy fridge

by
Anonymous Coward
in hardware on (#1225W)
In defiance of the rage of the security community who see the advances of spyware and intrusiveness endangering our precious private lives and anonymity Samsung have mated a mobile phone and a fridge to produce a device dedicated to supplying food and spying on you. Samsung showed models of this impressive privacy intruding device at the recent CES demonstrating how the 'Tizen' software could add a whole new dimension to invading our privacy in our own homes. Mike Lilly from Samsung Electronics Australia was quoted as saying this was "meaningful innovation" adding "We've seen internet fridges out there in the past but this is actually useful", meaning that it is useful for recording information about eating and spending habits to a degree higher than currently available even compared to mobile phone apps. Samsung plan launch the fridge in July quoting "it's important to get it into a lot of homes". Scary.
Reply 10 comments

IoT (Score: 0)

by Anonymous Coward on 2016-01-27 21:55 (#122B2)

If this catches on, how long until all devices come with an internet wifi connectivity option.... the chips are getting cheaper

Re: IoT (Score: 0)

by Anonymous Coward on 2016-01-28 17:51 (#125GD)

It's not going to catch on because it's not acually useful. It's a fad that will be too much effort to keep doing after the cool wears off; just like sticking to a diet or budgeting your money.

Re: IoT (Score: 0)

by Anonymous Coward on 2016-01-28 22:32 (#126AH)

The 'this' in the context given was probably aimed at the Internet of Things where soon manufacturers will want to put wifi chips into everything. Chips which can seek out and connect to unprotected public networks to upload data. Kind of scary really. Think about it. You buy a toaster and it uploads how much toast you make, the bread weigh, size of the bread and at what times you toasted to the internet.

I wonder if they'll do that for vibrators..

Re: IoT (Score: 0)

by Anonymous Coward on 2016-01-30 19:26 (#12CCX)

I never toast to the internet! :-)

Re: IoT (Score: 0)

by Anonymous Coward on 2016-01-30 19:23 (#12CCW)

Just wait until your health insurer offers you a discount if you only eat healthy food and prove it with such a fridge (but be careful not to put your neighbour's steak in your fridge; the insurer doesn't care that it wasn't yours and the neighbour's fridge was broken). And then, in a next step, makes it a requirement instead.

Re: IoT (Score: 0)

by Anonymous Coward on 2016-01-30 23:47 (#12CV4)

OK, I'll wait. But I won't hold my breath.

Just like telemetry boxes for cheaper car insurance: you'll only get suckered once. It's not worth the saving when they void your insurance because they don't like what you eat (or how you drive).

As the dude saieth (Score: 1)

by billshooterofbul@pipedot.org on 2016-01-28 23:28 (#126EA)

That's just, like you're opinion, man.

In reality, its a Fridge dedicated to suck at being a fridge. There is no way anyone is going to scan every freaking thing they put in there. That's a chore. The screen takes up valuable wedding invites and Christmas card storage space. That's what a fridge front is for. I can't buy stuff from the 5 different stores I buy groceries from, with its interface. The list just goes on. Its a piece of crap. The privacy aspects aren't scary because it sucks, no one wants it.

"it's important to get it into a lot of homes". Not scary, but the way companies operate. They want to sell their products. This is also the same company that screwed over everyone who bought their smart fridge.

https://ifixit.org/blog/7657/this-dumb-smart-fridge-shows-why-the-internet-of-things-will-break/

Re: As the dude saieth (Score: 2, Funny)

by Anonymous Coward on 2016-01-29 23:39 (#12A72)

Opinion Man!

He comes from the east to fight Rando!

Re: As the dude saieth (Score: 1, Funny)

by Anonymous Coward on 2016-01-30 00:24 (#12A9V)

The privacy aspects aren't scary because it sucks, no one wants it.
And those that think they do will quickly learn otherwise. As with those thermostats that failed.

Re: As the dude saieth (Score: 2, Insightful)

by reziac@pipedot.org on 2016-02-05 19:55 (#131S6)

I especially enjoyed this tidbit:
Worse, after a power outage, it reboots into demo mode-with the cooling compressor off. Spoiled milk, ahoy.
The linked review nails dead-on why this is a Useless Invention.

[eyes two working fridges from 2001 and 2004, decides not to toss out the repairable 1949 antique after all]