Anyone concerned about their privacy needs to be concerned about the roll out of smart meters.
A Cambridge University study on smart meters reported that the Danish government put a moratorium on smart meters because of complaints over the privacy issues they presented.
I recently read that B.C.’s privacy commissioner was working with BC Hydro to address concerns but I must admit, the more I read about the information available to the utilities from the new technology in smart meters, the more my concerns grow.
Right now we have a public utility but what happens should BC Hydro be privatized? How many private enterprises will it become and who will be monitoring where my information goes?
BC Hydro speaks of encryption, just like what is used by online banking, but how many times do we hear about our private information getting out? What happens to the information when it arrives at its destination?
The public needs to see exactly what information these smart meters will be able to collect, now and in the future. There needs to be oversight. We need the B.C. government to retreat from the smart meter program until the public – those paying for the plan – can review and advise on it.
If that doesn’t happen then it will
be a billion dollars lost on the B.C. Liberal’s watch and they will deserve a sound defeat in the next election.
Â
Charles Buettner
