Smart Meters: Money Over People?

www.emfnews.org www.emfnews.org www.emfnews.org Rob States argues that even though smart meters are being touted as an energy and money saving measure, they are actually being installed to benefit large corporations. Nothing has been done to ameliorate the risks associated with microwave radiation, PG&E is simply installing them without regard to the concerns of its customers. Could it be that the real reason for smart meters is to keep track of energy use to make it easier for corporations to target customers? I think so. Smart appliances are going to be required for use in California in the not-too-distant future, and these will tell the power company and the commercial interests exactly what appliances are being used, when they are being used, and how much they are being used. Every personal use of an appliance will be monitored for the benefit of others. Even now, smart meters can give a fairly good report of what is being used just by the amount of power being used at a specific time. This is obviously an invasion of privacy, which is guaranteed by the Fourth Amendment to the Constitution, but profits evidently mean more than personal privacy and dignity. The data collected by smart meters can be sold to anyone with the necessary funds. The highest bidder will be enabled to keep track of a household's internal activities. Laws have been passed to allow corporations to install cell towers without any discussion from those who will be living near them -- local input is ...