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Even your backyard grill is connected now and that should concern you!
Weber, the company famous for the dome-shaped black grill, is entering the world of IOT. Previewing their new tech at CES, the grilling helper connects to WIFI and will feature alexa integrations later this year.
“The Grilling Hub sends real-time temperature info to the Weber Connect app on either and Android or an iOS device. There’s also a display on the Hub itself that will show the temperature data for the selected probe. The app also houses a library of grilling info, and Weber says it will continue to add more over time. The company plans to continue to add new features to the software as well. Alexa integration is in the works for later this year.”
Although this sounds cool, this is another instance of a company that has no core competencies around IOT collecting, storing, and utilizing vast swaths of your personal data.
You are probably thinking “who cares, its just grilling data”. But, in a world of big data, weber and its partners can put together a very accurate profile about you. The app registration requires a name and e-mail and has Google and Facebook sign-in options. It also asks for location services to “get the latest weather”. That, with a list of what you are grilling, can be used for everything from knowing where you live (location data), how many people you live with (amount of meat you are grilling), how healthy you eat (you eat red meat 4 times a week), when you eat (imagine getting that pesky robocall while you are smoking your brisket when you more likely to pick up), not to mention the profiles they can build based on your habits (how often you grill, etc).
The data Weber is collecting SHOULD be yours! You should be able to know what they are collecting, manage it, and even share it with loved ones (imagine sharing the grill status with your neighbor, they can come over when the burgers are done). As IOT starts to creep into every corner of our lives, Data Ownership will become more and more critical.