Tag Archives: smart meters

Perils of Smart Meter Grid

Posted on by

Smart Meter Companies Admit: We’re Spying On You

Written by: Tara Dodrill

Power companies admit: We're spying on you

Smart meters are spying devices. Not breaking news? Likely not for those of us who have researched the issue for quite a long while, but an admission by those who make the devices is rather shocking.

That is exactly what has happened, as SmartGridNews, a website supported by the high-tech meter industry, acknowledged that smart meters are gathering private information on homeowners.

Smart meters utilize wireless technology and instantly tell power companies how much electricity a home is using, and even can report on the power usage by individual appliances, as Smart Grid News said. Smart meters also can literally control newer household appliances that have the capability to communicate with the device.

“One of the next areas of value comes from taking smart meter data and ‘disaggregating’ it to tell us exactly how customers are using electricity,” reads a new story on the website. “Do external devices already do this? Sure. Just as progress in the smart phone world reduced the need for external devices (cameras, alarm clocks, radios, pedometers, navigation systems, etc.) the ability to get accurate, appliance level feedback, without the need to invest in external hardware, is the next step in the world of smart meters.”

The Stop Smart Meters website states that fire dangers are also a problem associated with smart meters. Fire calls after smart meter installations reportedly include the shorting-out of electronics of all varieties and the burning-out of appliances.

Cyber hacking of smart meters to possibly overload and garner control of significant portions of the power grid is also an often-voiced worry about the smart power initiative. In Connecticut, 30 percent of customers in a pilot program had higher bills after smart meters were installed.

According to the Stop Smart Meters group, the smart grid devices do not always emit less RF (radio frequency) exposure than a cell phone — as some utility companies allegedly state.

“People are becoming increasingly aware of the potential harm done by chronic exposure to RF radiation-emitting devices and are taking steps to change how they use them. Most people are not offered a wired smart meter and you can’t turn it off once it is installed,” the group contends.

Story continues below video

Smart grid opponents have long opposed the gathering of their personal usage information.

Former CIA Director David Petraeus once stated that WiFi-connected devices, such as appliances commonly found inside many homes, will “transform the art of spying.” Petraeus also said that spies will be capable of monitoring Americans without going inside the home or perhaps even acquiring a warrant. He went on to state that remote control radio frequency identification devices, “energy harvesters,” sensor networks, and small embedded severs all connected to an Internet network will be all that is necessary for clandestine intelligence gathering.

The Smart Grid News report said customers surveyed in a recent report supported smart meters.

“Customers were delighted with the initiative as it showed how their new smart meters could work for them,” the website said. “Utility companies wanting to meet their specific conservation targets to drive customer engagement should ensure they are making the most of their smart meter investment. They can now use the power of smart meter data disaggregation to identify the customers who are most likely to help them reach their specific targets and turn them into willing partners in the drive for energy conservation.”

Data disaggregation basically means the automatic collection of personal energy habits of the homes attached to smart meters. The more customers know that is the case, the more they will oppose smart meters.

from:    http://www.offthegridnews.com/privacy/smart-meter-companies-admit-were-spying-on-you/

Smart Meter Radiation – Carcinogenic

Posted on by

Utility Companies Sending Possible Carcinogens into People’s Homes

Source

Catherine J. Frompovich
Activist Post

Pennsylvania Smart Meter Awareness (PASMA) just issued a second Press Release, in as many days, regarding astounding information from the World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Agency on Research for Cancer (IARC) regarding the radiofrequency radiation that AMI Smart Meters (SMs) emit. Guess what? Those Radioelectromagnetic Fields (RFs) coming off SMs are classified as “possibly carcinogenic to humans (Group 2B).” Holy cow! Who knew? Did you?

Anyone who’s recently received a new electric or water meter better check to see if it’s an AMI digital SM because, if it is, you are getting RF Group/class 2B possible carcinogens being transmitted into your homes minute-by-minute! Utility customers, who are in-the-know about the WHO/IARC information and have refused SMs, are being threatened with power cutoffs, even though their electric bills are paid in full.

The Pennsylvania state legislature IS at fault for this grave error in judgment in passing former HB2200 into PA Act 129 of 2008 since members did not take into consideration that they were mandating constituents be subject to something in the same carcinogenic classification as mercury, lead and benzene!

With that being said, Pennsylvania state legislators need to pass corrective legislation immediately—as other states should too—to allow for legal opt-outs, and better still, for total dismantling of Smart Meters on any utility company meters. Go back to RF-free analog meters!

With the current rate of cancer in the USA escalating daily, Pennsylvania citizens should not have to live in fear of contracting, nor have 24/7/365 exposure to a class 2 carcinogen from their electric/water meters and through their house wiring. Below is the Press Release PASMA sent out regarding RFs as Group 2B carcinogens.

Consumers, customers, parents, Pennsylvania state legislators, PA Public Utility Commission, PECO, and other utility companies: please check out these references regarding EMFs/RFs and microwaves:

Ottawa Environmental Health Clinichttp://www.oehc.ca/environmental-illnesses/emf.html

Institute for Geopathology SA http://geopathology-za.wikidot.com/barrie-trower

Lastly, the American Academy of Environmental Medicine published its “Recommendations Regarding Electromagnetic and Radiofrequency Exposure” wherein they state:

The AAEM recommends that physicians consider patients’ total electromagnetic exposure in their diagnosis and treatment, as well as recognition that electromagnetic and radiofrequency field exposure may be an underlying cause of a patient’s disease process.

AAEM goes on to list health problems associated with RF/electromagnetic/microwave frequencies. Pennsylvania Board of Health, please take note, too.

—————-

Pennsylvania Smart Meter Awareness * PASMA
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 4-9-15

Contact: Tom McCarey
Telephone: 610-687-7607
Email: tom_mccarey@runbox.com

IARC CLASSIFIES RFs POSSIBLY CARCINOGENIC TO HUMANS

The World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), in a press release, classified Radiofrequency Electromagnetic Fields (RFs) as possibly carcinogenic to humans (Group 2B).

That classification was based upon increased risk for glioma, a malignant type of brain cancer associated with wireless (cell) phone use, and RFs which also are emitted from AMI (Advanced Metering Infrastructure) Smart Meters, which PECO, an Exelon company, and other utilities in Pennsylvania currently are replacing vintage analog meters with.

The above designation was determined by a Working Group of 31 scientists from 14 countries at the IARC meeting in Lyon, France, in May 2011 that had assembled to assess the potential carcinogenic hazards from RF fields, including those from wireless communications, which includes Smart Meters.

The Chairman of the Working Group, Dr. Jonathan Samet (University of Southern California, USA) stated, “The evidence, while still accumulating, is strong enough to support a conclusion and the 2B classification. The conclusion means that there could be some risk, and therefore we need to keep a close watch for a link between cell phones and cancer risk.” Add AMI Smart Meter technology.

Any agent may be classified in 2B category solely on the basis of strong evidence from mechanistic and other relevant data, according to IARC. Mercury, lead, and benzene are W.H.O. class 2Bs also!

Why did then-Governor Ed Rendell sign into law Act 129 of 2008, an apparently illegal bill the Pennsylvania State Legislature passed that mandates Pennsylvanians should be subjected to cancer-causing radiofrequency technology? It seems either utility company lobbyists were effective in Harrisburg and/or Pennsylvania legislators did not exercise due diligence; defaulted on doing responsible homework regarding AMI Smart Meters technology; and—more importantly—did not engage the Precautionary Principle to safeguard the health of Pennsylvania citizens.

PASMA is calling on both chambers of the current 2015 Pennsylvania legislative session to immediately correct Act 129 by providing and enacting Opt-Out legislation for those who do not want, fear, or have medical reasons. Citizens should NOT have AMI Smart Meters FORCED on to them and their properties. Utility companies are harassing and threatening owners with cut off service if they do not give permission to replace RF-free analog meters with RF-emitting AMI Smart Meters.
The EM-Radiation Research Trust advises W.H.O./ IARC to move RFs from class 2B to class 1!

If you would like more information about this topic, or to schedule an interview with a member of PASMA, please call Tom McCarey at 610-687-7607 or email Tom at tom_mccarey@runbox.com

Catherine J Frompovich (website) is a retired natural nutritionist who earned advanced degrees in Nutrition and Holistic Health Sciences, Certification in Orthomolecular Theory and Practice plus Paralegal Studies. Her work has been published in national and airline magazines since the early 1980s. Catherine authored numerous books on health issues along with co-authoring papers and monographs with physicians, nurses, and holistic healthcare professionals. She has been a consumer healthcare researcher 35 years and counting.

Catherine’s latest book, published October 4, 2013, is Vaccination Voodoo, What YOU Don’t Know About Vaccines, available on Amazon.com.

Her 2012 book A Cancer Answer, Holistic BREAST Cancer Management, A Guide to Effective & Non-Toxic Treatments, is available on Amazon.com and as a Kindle eBook.

Two of Catherine’s more recent books on Amazon.com are Our Chemical Lives And The Hijacking Of Our DNA, A Probe Into What’s Probably Making Us Sick (2009) and Lord, How Can I Make It Through Grieving My Loss, An Inspirational Guide Through the Grieving Process (2008)

from:    http://www.activistpost.com/2015/04/utility-companies-sending-possible.html

The Power Grid & You

Posted on by

Industry’s Own Words: 6 Admissions Of In-Home Surveillance Using Smart Meters

Josh del Sol
Activist Post

A look at what utility companies, PUCs, and the former CIA director have to say about the ‘smart’ meters, data-mining, and surveillance — sans propaganda.

It’s always a drag to find out when a friend is saying one thing to your face, and another to your back. As uncovered in our film Take Back Your Power, the way in which most utilities are now delivering the lies and propaganda — with your individual rights, security, and potentially health on the line — is elevating the trait of “two-faced” to a completely new level.

It’s important to note that the first 4 of these references have to do with the smart meters / grid infrastructure capabilities as of this time. According to the sum of my research over the past 3 years, the plan involves achieving a greater and greater level of granularity and extraction of in-home data over time — see #5 and #6 below as examples (as well as my article on Google’s Nest acquisition). So as far as privacy and surveillance go, according to utilities’ own documentation and writings, ‘smart’ meters are effectively a trojan horse.

1) US Congressional Research Service report, “Smart Meter Data: Privacy and Cybersecurity” (February 2012)

With smart meters, police will have access to data that might be used to track residents’ daily lives and routines while in their homes, including their eating, sleeping, and showering habits, what appliances they use and when, and whether they prefer the television to the treadmill, among a host of other details.

Source: https://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/R42338.pdf – see page 7 (page 10 of the PDF)

2) Colorado Power Utility Commission report, “Smart Metering & Privacy: Existing Law and Competing Policies” (Spring 2009)

First, the privacy concerns are real, and should be addressed proactively in order to protect consumers. Second and related, a salient privacy invasion—were it to happen and get press—could create significant opposition to smart grid deployment efforts.

Source: http://www.dora.state.co.us/puc/DocketsDecisions/DocketFilings/09I-593EG/09I-593EG_Spring2009Report-SmartGridPrivacy.pdf – see page 6

3) California Public Utility Commission press release, “California Commission Adopts Rules to Protect the Privacy and Security of Customer Electricity Usage Data” (July 2011)

Our action today will protect the privacy and security of customer usage data while enablingutilities and authorized third-parties to use the information to provide useful energy management and conservation services to customers.

I support today’s decision because it adopts reasonable privacy and security rules and expandsconsumer and third-party access to electricity usage and pricing information. I hope this decision stimulates market interest.

Source:http://smartenergyportal.net/article/california-commission-adopts-rules-protect-privacy-and-security-customer-electricity-usage-d

4) SF Chronicle article, “California Utilities Yield Energy Use Data” (July 2013)

California’s electric utilities last year disclosed the energy-use records and other personal information of thousands of customers, according to reports the companies filed with state regulators.

The vast majority of those disclosures – 4,062 – were made by one utility, San Diego Gas and Electric Co. In 4,000 of those cases, the information was subpoenaed by government agencies.

New digital smart meters being installed throughout the state can measure a home’s energy use hour by hour, showing when residents leave for work, go to sleep or travel on vacation. Older analog meters, which measured cumulative energy use over the course of a month, couldn’t do that.

“Before smart meters, what happened inside houses couldn’t be revealed unless there was a police officer inside with a warrant,” Ozer said.

Source: http://www.sfchronicle.com/business/article/Calif-utilities-yield-energy-use-data-4611159.php

5) Raab & Associates, Steering Committee report (February 2013) – Under the heading “Strategic (3-10 years)”:

New tools for mining data for intel

Under the heading “Transformational (10+ years)”:

Centralized intel combined with widespread local/distributed intel

and

Data mining and analytics becomes core competency

Source: http://magrid.raabassociates.org/articles/raab%20subcommittee%20update%20draft.ppt

View slide 17 only (PDF): http://www.takebackyourpower.net/documents/RaabDraft-17.pdf

6) Wired.com, “CIA Chief: We’ll Spy on You Through Your Dishwasher” (15 Mar 2012)

‘Items of interest will be located, identified, monitored, and remotely controlled through technologies such as radio-frequency identification, sensor networks, tiny embedded servers, and energy harvesters — all connected to the next-generation internet using abundant, low-cost, and high-power computing,’ Petraeus said, ‘the latter now going to cloud computing, in many areas greater and greater supercomputing, and, ultimately, heading to quantum computing.

“Petraeus allowed that these household spy devices “change our notions of secrecy” and prompt a rethink of “our notions of identity and secrecy.” All of which is true — if convenient for a CIA director.”

Source: http://www.wired.com/2012/03/petraeus-tv-remote/

* * *

Did we really think that the technocratic oligarchy would stop at collecting information about how we use our phones, who we call, and where we’re located? If we did, we were naive. Plainly, there is a corporate intention to effectively colonize your home.

However, there is also a rising awareness, and resistance, as new solutions are uncovered. The first step is to remove your consent, in writing.

The following is actually written into the California Civil Code. Not only do these provide a strong clue at how the corporatocracy functions (and gets away with what it does), but they also outline a basis for remedy: (notes in parentheses, italics)

California Civil Code (2009)

1619. A contract is either express or implied. (If you didn’t say no, you said yes.) 

3515. He who consents to an act is not wronged by it. (The way they do business is in writing. If you didn’t send them a letter or notice to remove your consent, you have agreed to their terms, and thus have agreed to a reduction in rights.)

3521. He who takes the benefit must bear the burden. (Utilities and their executives – and many public servants – are taking the benefit. They must, according to their law, accept the liability for all harm if the liability is enforced.) 

3523. For every wrong there is a remedy. (We are not bound into something which would have us be as slaves, if we do not want to be.) 

3527. The law helps the vigilant, before those who sleep on their rights.

What statutes are YOUR utilities and governments bound by?

from:    http://www.activistpost.com/2014/04/industrys-own-words-6-admissions-of-in.html