ktlight
10th August 2011, 08:26
FYI:
A watchdog has said it will keep a close eye on energy companies over personal data held on smart meters.
The devices, which show exactly how much gas and electricity is being used in a household, could contain a raft of private information.
Every home in Britain is expected to be equipped with a smart meter by 2020 and the Information Commissioner's Office warned privacy must not be compromised.
The industry said that it was addressing security concerns.
Energy plans
The new coalition government has said that it is committed to the roll-out of smart meters.
Under the plans, each home would get a new smart gas meter and a new electricity meter. One is the "host" meter, that will communicate with the customer and the supplier.
This should bring an end to estimated bills, because the technology sends back an accurate meter reading to the energy company every day.
However, various security concerns have been raised regarding the technology. This includes the amount of personal data held on the devices.
It also means that it could make clear the exact times householders tend to leave their home, or when they sleep, by looking at their energy usage.
Energy company First Utility recently announced a link-up with Google, that would allow people to check their energy usage via the internet and mobile phone.
First Utility boss Mark Daeche said that data was encrypted, but that the government needed to ensure standards of privacy were set.
He said there should be "no loopholes" and that information should be "secure and anonymous".
source to read more
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/10173856
A watchdog has said it will keep a close eye on energy companies over personal data held on smart meters.
The devices, which show exactly how much gas and electricity is being used in a household, could contain a raft of private information.
Every home in Britain is expected to be equipped with a smart meter by 2020 and the Information Commissioner's Office warned privacy must not be compromised.
The industry said that it was addressing security concerns.
Energy plans
The new coalition government has said that it is committed to the roll-out of smart meters.
Under the plans, each home would get a new smart gas meter and a new electricity meter. One is the "host" meter, that will communicate with the customer and the supplier.
This should bring an end to estimated bills, because the technology sends back an accurate meter reading to the energy company every day.
However, various security concerns have been raised regarding the technology. This includes the amount of personal data held on the devices.
It also means that it could make clear the exact times householders tend to leave their home, or when they sleep, by looking at their energy usage.
Energy company First Utility recently announced a link-up with Google, that would allow people to check their energy usage via the internet and mobile phone.
First Utility boss Mark Daeche said that data was encrypted, but that the government needed to ensure standards of privacy were set.
He said there should be "no loopholes" and that information should be "secure and anonymous".
source to read more
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/10173856