Cybersecurity

'Internet of things': U.S. government may use ordinary household items to spy on people, intel chief says

Be very careful: innocent as they may look, your own refrigerator, washing machine or television at home may soon be used by the U.S. government to spy on you.

James Clapper, the U.S. director of national intelligence, told the Senate this week that his agency is looking at the possibility of using the so-called "Internet of things," or ordinary devices connected to the Internet and transmitting various information on its owners using microchips, for surveillance work.

"In the future, intelligence services might use the [Internet of things] for identification, surveillance, monitoring, location tracking, and targeting for recruitment, or to gain access to networks or user credentials," Clapper said, as quoted by The Guardian.