by K.T. Weaver, SkyVision Solutions
From a recent peer-reviewed industry article [1], here is what is stated about the issue of privacy and smart meters for the “end user” of electricity:
“Conventional meters were only capable of measuring and displaying the aggregate consumption. The data was collected manually in intervals defined by utility company for billing. Smart meters however, are capable of collecting information with higher frequencies, i.e., every 15 min. Initial AMI deployed projects in Ontario, Canada, sustain readings at intervals of 5 to 60 min. Current technologies even allow for measurements every minute. By analyzing smart meter’s data, it is possible to perform ‘consumer profiling’ with an alarmingly high accuracy. Examples range from how many people live in the house, duration of occupancy, type of appliances, security and alarming systems, to inferring special conditions such as medical emergencies or [a] new born baby.
Profiling allows extracting residents’ behavior even without utilization of sophisticated algorithms and computer aided tools. Murrill and colleagues have shown that it is possible to identify the use of major appliances in a house, by analyzing only a 15 min interval cumulative energy consumption data. Molina-Markham et al. have shown that with the current general statistical schemes it is possible to identify the usage pattern from AMI data even without the detailed signatures of appliances or previous training.”
In the smart meter-related case of Naperville Smart Meter Awareness (NSMA) v. City of Naperville, a Federal district court entered a final judgment against NSMA and in favor of the City on September 26, 2016. (Case 1:11-cv-09299)
Current guidelines of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and similar organizations are outdated and do not adequately protect us from the hazards of radiofrequency radiation (RF). FCC exposure guidelines only protect against thermal damage despite overwhelming evidence that so-called non-thermal effects also occur. These non-thermal effects are simply unregulated.
