Blog source report 8

Wired Magazine

Security Pros Question Deployment of Smart Meters

Kim Zetter March 4, 2010

Wired magazine is a widely known publication known for being on the forefront of issues related to computer and information technology. The publication also has a reputation for presenting less mainstream opinions and topics in their articles. This mix of opinions and the publications willingness to publish them makes this source a good neutral source to use in my inquiry. The author, Kim Zetters, takes the perspective that any technology is going to have problems during its implementation and that no security is without weakness. The point that Zetters stresses is that power companies like PG& E should be as forthcoming as possible about the security risks despite the delays such admissions might cause. This, Zetters implies, is really the best way to expose as many problems as possible and I use the article to support my inquiries demand for greater transparency with regard to smart energy monitoring capabilities and risks. I will use the article to make the point that it is not enough that the technology is not intended for malicious activity, on the contrary, the worst should be assumed to be possible in order to avoid failure of the entire system. I do fault this article for focusing too much on individual criminals rather than the data mining and privacy abuse potential of smart energy monitoring. I do so because the column is titled “Privacy, crime and security online” and the evidence, in my opinion, suggests the greatest privacy risk inherent in smart energy monitoring is abuse of data mining by larger entities such as law enforcement and corporations. This article is still relevant to my research because it adds specific and current information about events in policy development at the RSA security Conference in San Francisco. I think this conference is particularly important because California is pioneering energy monitoring in the U.S. and this conference has a significant influence on California information technology policy development.

Blog source report 7

SmartPrivacy for the Smart Grid: embedding privacy into the design of electricity conservation, Ann Cavoukian & Jules Polonetsky &Christopher Wolf, February 8, 2010

Identity in the information society is a scholarly publication which is suitable for use in academic level research. This article is very specific about how smart energy monitoring should be integrated with the need for greater protection of personal information. This publication is my research inquiry’s primary source of solutions to the smart energy monitoring debate’s privacy hurdle. The author’s present a detailed overview of the components needed to guard privacy while saving energy through the new technology. The authors cite Dr. Ann Cavoukian’s conceptual model  of “SmartPrivacy”. This paper provides my inquiry with specific information about the technology needed to augment the legal arguments for maintaining privacy. While one of my sources is specific and rigorous in its address of privacy law, Cavoukin and Polonetsky are equally detailed about the technical classification of different types of information and how it will be collected and analyzed. I found that the authors provided much needed new terms and smart energy specific language that will make communication between policy makers and scientists more productive in this new field.

Blog source report 6

Privacy Considerations in Demand Response Energy Systems
Deirdre K. Mulligan, Director SLTPPC, UCB

As director of the Samuelson Law, Technology & Public Policy Clinic Deirdre K. Mulligan is an expert clinical lawyer. In her presentation on the legality of smart energy data collection she addresses the issue I am researching from the perspective of maintaining the legality of existing laws in the development of legislation that will regulate the new smart energy technologies. This article relates to my inquiry because it links the legality of personal data collection by interested entities to existing laws that have established legal precedence. This paper is important because it delivers a verdict on privacy rights that supports the main goal of my research inquiry and the author is a clearly recognized authority on the issue my. This presentation is important because it is exhaustive in its adress of legal issues pertinent to the debate on smart energy monitoring yet reaches concise conclusion supporting the importance of maintaining personal data integrity and privacy throughout the implimentation of the smart energy technologies. Because the author is an expert in this field her presentation’s conclusion provides authoratitive support for my inquiry.

Blog Source report 5

Companies Call for Better Home Energy Monitoring
PCWorld
Grant Gross, IDG News
Apr 5, 2010

Establishing large corporations as a primary driving force behind smart energy technology development is an important part of this research inquiry. In order to do this a well established publication with a large audience was needed. PCWorld is one of the largest tech related publications and can be trusted to represent the opinions of major players in the IT sector accurately. This source is relevent to my reserach inquiry because it summarizes what I perceive to be a discrepency between large corporations’ argument for implementing smart energy monitoring and their reasoning for supporting the technology. The article reports that 47 major companies asked president Obama to take steps to allow consumers to monitor their home energy use. The content of this source is not as important as the language it uses, who it represents, and the authors objective. The title, and the articles publication in PCWorld, suggest that the author feels safe in representing companies including AT&T, General Electric, Intel, and NGOs like The Climate Group, NRDC and the Alliance to Save Energy. These entities are the largest of their kind and benefit from systems that help them organize their enormous customer bases on a global level. It can be reasonably assumed that data these entities collect can only help them market their products more effectively. I intend to use this article to create a contrast between what large corporations are advertising and attempt to draw a conclusion about corporate motivation for smart energy data collection. This article will help my research inquiry show that smart energy technology is an attempt by companies to gather personal information and that legislation and disclosure policies need to be developed that require companies to be more forthcoming about their pursuit of private data.

Blog source report 4

A REPORT FOR THE COLORADO PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMISSION

Elias Leake Quinn

Spring 2009

This public report by Elias Leake Quinn details the exact way in which a home’s energy use can be profiled and the concerns the public, corporations, and lawmakers are attempting to address. The article is factual and is logical in its assessment of smart energy management. As a formal report for the Colorado public utilities company this article is reputable and objective. It has also been written recently which is important due to the rapidly changing Internet Technology (IT) industry. Additionally, the nature of this conflict between consumers and data collectors warrants legislation and policy development which can also change quickly. The article is relevant to my research inquiry in that it provides an unbiased overview of the issues that may need to be solved to reap the benefits of smart energy monitoring while mitigating risks to individuals privacy. Quinn explains the capabilites and potential of smart energy monitoring technology in terms of the probability that the technology could be used for collecting various types of personal data. Quinn doess not state his own opinion on how the technology should be integrated into existing energy management, rather, he summarizes several scenarios where corporations, regulators, and third parties could be in contention over data collection and distribution. The article contains diagrams and graphs that provide the reader with a better idea of the capabilities of smart energy monitoring technology. I intend to utilize this source as a strong argument for abuse potential of smart energy monitoring technology and the establishment of regulatory guidelines that protect personal privacy.

Blog source report 3

Blog Source Report 3
Electronic Frontier foundation
New “Smart Meters” for Energy Use Put Privacy at Risk
Lee Tien

EFF is a consumer advocacy group that focuses on reporting development in the computing world as they pertain to personal data security, and citizens’ privacy rights. They are obviously suspicious of government and corporation supported developments in the computing world and are critical of government policies that could, in any way, infringe citizens’ ability to choose how to use a new service or technology individually. This publication supports its claims with recent related news, academic articles, and government studies as well as taking part in political activities. EFF most closely represents my own pessimistic view of the federal government and corporations’ ability to acknowledge or protect my right to privacy The title of this article supports my main claim that the security issues inherent in smart energy monitoring technology pose a risk that must be addressed before the technology is implemented any further. This article also describes the way these technologies are realized without the full knowledge and understanding of the public to which they are applied. Tien describes how smart energy technologies are presented as a part of the economic stimulus plan despite the programs clear issues with reliability, lawful usage, and potential as yet another data mining tool for interested parties. This sources also does a good job of reflecting my views that a technology with the potential to benefit large corporations despite potential harm to the general public is often realized by its supporters through a combination of distracting issues and speedy legislation

Blog Source report 2

Blog Source Report 2
Electronics & the Environment, Proceedings of the 2007 IEEE International Symposium Scoping the potential of monitoring and control technologies to reduce energy use in homes
Williams, E.D.;   Matthews, H.S.;

This academic journal article establishes the need to improve the efficiency of residential energy by improving older more wasteful energy devices with newer more efficient devices on par with other digitalized networked information systems. The paper details the amount of energy waste that occurs in the residential sector by specifying the types of devices and energy monitoring technologies that are responsible and the need to identify specific causes of energy waste through Information Technology-enabled monitoring devices. This piece adds credibility to my research by showing the need to improve energy usage through smart energy monitoring from a scholarly source. Since my research inquiry is the importance of addressing security risk to personal data integrity; identifying smart monitoring technologies as a necessity to curbing energy waste establishes the need for a thorough analysis of the potential security problems. While the article does not mention security concerns or the public’s interest in protecting personal privacy the authors do detail the importance of networking smart energy monitoring devices. This implies that these devices must be networked in the same way that computers are currently networked. Since most residents are familiar with at least a few of the security challenges these networks present Matthews and Williams give my inquiry the precedent to assume that the same security and privacy issues experienced with computer internet networks should be addressed in the development and implementation of smart energy monitoring.

blog source report 1

Blog Source Report 1
Earth2tech
Smart Grid Data: Too Much For Privacy, Not Enough for Innovation?
By Jeff St. John
Earth2tech is a tech enthusiast consumer blog that focuses on issues that have to do with improving the environment through new technologies. They publish reports on issues ranging from electric cars to energy policy and their articles are well resourced and factual with references to other articles include official government reports. They often cite expert opinions on the subjects they research and one can easily follow the links they post in their articles to other similarly reputable publications. I chose to use them as one of my sources because of my topics relevance to improving the efficiency of our national power grid and the way we utilize our energy resources. Furthermore, I wanted to use a sources that was pro-environment because my article is critical of the way security issues are being handled by smart energy monitoring devices but I endorse these devices potential to improve the average citizens energy efficiency. Earth2tech is a good reference because they publish fact based reviews of technologies and the article I am using by Jeff St. John simply acknowledges that the issue I am addressing is of real concern and worth considering. The article discusses the different parties involved in the debate over energy monitoring software devices potential as a privacy risk and identifies possible motivations for energy companies, consumers and regulators to clash. John also summarizes several solutions to the conflict; focusing on the consumers need to keep data private and the energy companies desire to have as much information as possible. John does not delve any deeper into the reasons the two sides have for being concerned which allow my research inquiry to segue into a more detailed analysis of the less benign applications of smart energy monitoring technology.

Potential issues

Stem cell Fraud

1. The stem cell debate entails many different concerns and opinions but as is so often the case when an issue has not been officially settled people take it upon themselves to investigate firsthand rather than wait for the debate to finish. While bans have been lifted and some moratorium removed there are still many things to be resolved and some people have decided to try experimenting with stem cells. Many Scientists are and health care professionals are alarmed at the number of ways salespeople are trying to market stem cells, usually with little real science to back up their claims.

2. I am interested in this issue because I work in a lab that performs stem cell research and it is a lot of work. So when someone tries to sell stem cells for the purpose of making money rather than to improve the science and application of the technology I resent it. I dislike it particularly because it creates great health risk and unrealistic expections of the technology

3.    The stakeholder are legitimate pharmaceutical companies looking to make a profit  through hard work, swindlers trying to take a shortcut to getting rich at any price, health care workers, and people who may or may not benefit from stem cell science but believe that they need them.

4.The most difficult aspect of this problem is how to prove that the scammers out there are advertising falsely when researchers have been held back from making progress and discoveries  by legislation for so long. Everyone know what a stem cell is now in contrast to other new drugs which, by the time the public hears about them, are already tested.

5. I support responsible ethical use of stem cells as careful consideration of their applications. Many people do not know that certain regular cells can be turned back into stem cells though many projects require pluripotent cells.

6. http://media-newswire.com/release_1122621.html

Fusion power

1. Fusion power is possible so why haven’t we done it yet? That is a question many might ask themselves after looking at how much money and resources we have spent fighting over oil. ITER the latest and largest fusion research facility will cost roughly twice its original 5 billion dollar price tag. The figures on the Iraq war are well known but many people may not know the us has a 711 billion dollar defense budget.
2. This issue is interesting to me because its yet another example of how we just seem to have so much trouble doing the right thing. We could have a big expensive trillion dollar (including long term consequences) war so we can continue burning up an interesting and useful natural resource to push cars around and turn on light bulbs or we could spend a tiny fraction of that money harnessing the power of the sun; clean, efficient independent energy.
3. Something that is rarely mentioned in this debate is that the military spend a lot of money on research. That means jobs for engineers, chemists, social workers, just about anyone from any CSU major could work on military funded projects. These projects are often not profitable so they would not get done without Federal support. Military projects lead to good things sometimes. But, these days I think most CSU students would rather see the money going straight to the school rather than following a circuitous bureaucratic route back to professors and students.
4. Anyone who breaths air, uses plastic things, or drives a car could be affected by what type of energy we choose to use.
5. Some of the statistics on military spending are classified and traditional energy companies  will baffle even the most dedicated researcher with waves of pictures and public relations propag…advertising depicting habitats for seals around oil derricks and bald headed eagles nesting  on specially built power line poles. Also, at least for me, it is hard for me to criticize an industry that provides me with fuel to drive to class when I should be riding my bike.
6. I want to see fusion power developed so I think ITER is great though if we had spared a few more  million or even a billion from our colossal defense budget I think ITER would have been up and running a long time ago. It was planned well before the first Iraq war. Military spending provides a lot of jobs but this topic segues into another argument about whether the federal government should take money and dole it back out using their presumably sound budgetary planning.  Or maybe States should be allowed to keep it and blow it all on things like student aid, teachers’ salaries, roads, and public resources for the unemployed to help jumpstart local economies.

FPIF, A Unified Security Budget for the United States, 2007, By Lawrence Korb and Miriam Pemberton, May 2, 2006

Toulmin Response

The article “The incentives Catastrophe” posted on June 23, 2010 by Eliot Spitzer comments on the link between the policies and practices that led to the BP oil disaster and an underlying belief system that is assumed to exist on Wall Street. The main claim of the article is that the link between Wall Street and the BP oil disaster, the law of incentives, has created an asymmetry in the belief system held by those individuals who can be considered to represent Wall Street. Also, the claim also makes the case that such disasters will continue to occur until liability caps and asymmetry our current incentives model are and removed individuals are able to take the risks necessary for personal gain without suffering the consequences of failure.

One reason the main claim can be made is provided in the government’s practices in regards to large companies such as Goldman, GE Capital, Citibank and AIG and the government’s reaction to these companies failure. This reason directly supports the main claim by stating that the large institutions were able to borrow at reduced costs and utilize leverage ratios and trading models that would have been irrational in a business model where the potential benefactor was also accountable for the risk involved. The risk is shouldered by the American public and the article argues that, because of this, there is no incentive for companies considered “to big to fail” to change their policies. The acronym TBTF which stand for “to big to fail” is used and implies entities that are somehow above the rules that apply to smaller companies.  With the recent failure of many smaller banks this reason has strong relevancy and logic. It is particularly relevant when one considers that the people losing their homes purchased a home at a value that may have been artificially inflated by an asymmetric business model that favors risky decisions on Wall Street.

One counterargument that is mentioned in the article is that businesses need the incentive system in order to undertake risky activities that we, the public, encourage. According to the article, businesses have argued successfully that the costs of mitigating the effects of a litigious society through the current incentives model is the only way make certain endeavors in the public interest possible. The qualifier is made in this rebuttal that the companies were only able to win their arguments by using political leverage, suggesting that the companies’ arguments were not actually valid. Little evidence is given to support this rebuttal and while I may agree to some extent I find the article lacking in specific examples.

In summary, the article gives good supporting reasons for its main claim in my opinion.  The reasons it gives are relevant to the main claim of the article. The reasons, when evaluated together, provide strong evidence for the claim but are not completely sufficient to show that the solution, mainly removing liability caps, is warranted or even the best solution. More evidence needs to be presented to show that removing strictly enforced oversight and removing liability caps are the best solutions.