BY CHARLES BUETTNER, THE PROVINCE
JUNE 1, 2011
Anyone concerned about their privacy needs to be concerned about the rollout 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 B.C. 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 B.C. Hydro be privatized? How many private enterprises will it become and who will be monitoring where my information goes?
The B.C. Utilities Commission needs to be able to provide oversight and we need the B.C. government to relent from the smartmeter program until the public can review and advise on it.
Charles Buettner, Surrey
