Are You Worried About CyberSecurity?

[Jim Meade / Iowa City]

Monsanto got hacked last year.  As more and more of your data, such as seed varieties, fertilizer levels, soil samples, planting and weed control practices and more is stored on someone else's hard drive, how would that affect you if someone stole it?

Self drive cars are now possible, and we have seen demonstrations of hackers taking over the electronics on cars today and controlling actions such as braking and acceleration.  Would you like a hacker to take over your auto-steer or even self-steer tractor one of these days?

How much of the worry about cybersecurity and data security is paranoia and hype and how much is valid concern?  If the horse get's stolen from the barn, can it be put back in even if stopped?

Another question about data security involves who has access to your data for what purpose.  Would you like the EPA to have your spraying records?  How about the emission control data from your tractor?  Should USDA be able to tell where your tractor has been going if it wants to accuse you of failing to follow your tillage program?  Should your insurance company get a dump of your combine records?

[ECIN]

Not at all Jim - To need to worry about something that has aready happened to me - Like when they hacked Blue Cross - Blue Shield a few weeks ago - BTW thats who my health Insurance is with - You would think - Or any way I do that a company that charges as much as they do could for coverage -- at least !  could protect my info. But that was NOT the case along with a few other million people - More like 80 million customers - Jerks !

[Kay/NC]

EPA has purposely rekeased livestock priducers' information, in defiance of court orders. We have had to deal with cyber security concerns for nearly 20 years now, so I guess I get to say again, " Welcome to my world".

I have made this point repeatedly, but it was " just hog farmers".

[sw363535]

Certified Public Hacker. Has a ring to it. 🙂

Minutia Czar. Not so good

We are going to need those jobs.

[Kay/NC]

As I awaken in the second power outage in three mornings, in our second house, in the second state where record cold has been testing the bounds of engineering for a bit now, my brain just clicked onto this subject and a screen default I had to opt out of on the computer in my office yesterday:The Cloud. It seems that every smartphone ( which is, after all, a traveling computer logging our every move), every new tablet and computer, comes with the option of " free" storage in The Cloud.

I am sure this comes with the pricetag of " someone" having access to every bit and byte. I am going to have to really watch myself on saving documents, and especially farm management records.

Of course, I feel certain that any computer connected to the Internet is corruptible. Even some of these web-connected " smart" TVs are reported to be eavesdropping on homes, too. With your electronically-dependent vehicles hackable, thise and tractors coming wifi capable now, we really are giving Big Brother a lot of help keeping tabs on us, aren't we. Next up: apple watches to track your every step ( literally) and apple is going to be building cars by 2020.

Remember when everything was given the model number 2000, so it seemed futuristic?

[minnisota]

I think everyone is aware that data on seed, fertilyzer, soil,  planting and weed control is being shared by several gov. agencies and who knows how many companies and yes hackers, think the 15 yr old neighbor kid snopping in your data.

 I'm not sure what damage can be done by knowing these things. I just think we s hould be compensated in some way for this info they are taking for free.

There is no such thing as CyberSecurity not for a long time now atleast not for most if not all  computers used by consumers.

I remember the first time I got an add popup about a product I had emailed to my brother. I thought WTF someone knows what is in my emails. I even tried to call Google and ask them to quit reading my mail. Boy was I naive. That was several years ago. 

Thanks to Snowden we now know just how far all this has gone. 

[Kay/NC]

There was a big, snarkey fight between formwr Gov. Bev Perdue and amqzon, over access to what state residnts were buying.

Playd out as a taxation issue, and they do tax amazon now...but, I atill think all they needed to know was " food" v " non-food". Those are the different sales tax categories. It is still cheaper to order much of what we buy,given our ridiculously high gasoline taxes to go anywhere to shop.