Technology 17 February 2018

The Week in Internet News: Can Blockchain Improve IoT?

Grant Gross
By Grant GrossGuest AuthorTechnology Reporter

Blockchain merges with IoT? Could Blockchain technology help the Internet of Things become more resilient? IBM thinks so. The company is exploring ways to use Blockchain to build trust between devices and to accelerate transactions on the IoT. EETimes explores the issue.

Grand Theft IoT: Someone involved in the online community for the video game, “Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas” has spun up a new botnet made up of IoT devices, according to security firm Radware. For the price of $20, the botnet can supposedly launch a 300gbps Distributed Denial of Service attack, reports Motherboard.

AI on the rise: Nearly after of all CIOs have plans to implement artificial intelligence in the future, according to a recent Gartner survey. The IT research firm recommends that companies rolling out AI projects aim low to start, and focus augmenting workers instead of replacing them, according to a story on TechRepublic.

Where the jobs are: For a time, it appeared that actual deployments of Blockchain seemed to be lagging behind the buzz. But that appears to be changing, with Blockchain developers now in high demand, TechCrunch reports. Blockchain jobs are the second fastest growing category in the labor market, with 14 job openings for every Blockchain developer.

Data breach exposure expands: The data breach at Equifax, the U.S. credit reporting agency, may have exposed more personal information than originally suspected when the company reported the compromise late last year, according to several news reports, including one from CNN. Equifax originally said names, date of birth, Social Security numbers and home addresses were exposed in the breach, which affects about 145.5 million people. But tax IDs and driver’s license details may also be included, according to the new reports.

Bitcoin miner interference: In what may be this week’s weirdest Internet news, the U.S. Federal Communications Commission found that a Brooklyn Bitcoin mining operation interfered with T-Mobile’s LTE network. The Bitcoin miners were emitting “spurious” radio emissions and could be subject to fines, Reuters reported.

Remembering John Perry Barlow: We were saddened to hear of the death of John Perry Barlow, co-founder of the Electronic Frontier Foundation and Grateful Dead lyricist, on Feb. 7 at age 70. Barlow, one of the earliest voices in the cyberlibertarian movement, authored “A Declaration of the Independence of Cyberspace,” published in 1996. Less famous but perhaps just as useful was Barlow’s “25 Principles of Adult Behavior.” Among them: “Avoid the pursuit of happiness. Seek to define your mission and pursue that.” And, “Reduce your use of the first personal pronoun.”


Explore the Internet Society Global Internet Report: Paths to Our Digital Future to learn more about how the Internet of Things and Artificial Intelligence might shape tomorrow’s Internet.

Disclaimer: Viewpoints expressed in this post are those of the author and may or may not reflect official Internet Society positions.

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