Tracking Electric Use Could Allow Utilities to Track You, Too

Smart electric grids are championed by the federal government, conservation groups and industry as good for the economy and the environment. The digital meters in homes enable measurement and two-way communication with utilities so consumers can trim electricity use. But some technology policy organizations worry that smart meters pose a potential threat to privacy and could be exploited by online marketers, government agencies, criminals and others.

In a filing with the California Public Utilities Commission last week, the Center for Democracy and Technology and the Electronic Frontier Foundation presented their concerns and recommended new rules on the collection and use of smart grid data. Traditional electromechanical meters -- attached to the side of a house -- are typically read once a month or less. New digital meters will collect data 750 to 3,000 times a month. Such fine-grained metering, privacy experts say, will make it possible to put together a picture of household life: when the people who live there get up, when they get home, what appliances they use most and when they go on vacation.