Is smart meter safe? So far, there is no evidence that radiofrequency energy can cause cancer; it is even harder to ignore privacy concerns. Since smart meters generate frequent readings (some are generated every 15 minutes), we can theoretically calculate the power consumption within a home: which appliances are being used, several people at home, and even family members. Daily schedule. A study by the University of Washington in 2011 showed that people can judge whether a television in a house is playing "Shrek 2" or "The Lion King" through power features.

According to data from a privacy protection group called the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), California's smart electricity performance can collect 750 to 3,000 data points per month instead of just one data point per month. The EFF expressed satisfaction with the control measures implemented by the local power company Pacific Gas & Power (PG&E), but the EFF spokesman Rebecca Jeschke believes that more stringent privacy controls are needed because of the power A large amount of personal data was collected during use. She said: "A lot of third-party organizations want to get this sensitive information."

This includes the local police. Police in Ohio and several other states have already routinely requested electricity bills as a means of positioning cannabis cultivation activities. Hackers may also be eyeing these smart meter devices. The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation investigated a case in Puerto Rico where criminals easily evaded 400 million U.S. dollars in electricity bills by manipulating smart meters.

Friedman, from a family of lawyers in the Bronx, New York, said he felt "inflamed". He believes that smart meters are superfluous, and that government-controlled monopolies illegally violate their personal lives. He wondered: "In the long run, this is a data mining issue. Who will they sell the data to?"

In the final analysis, the usefulness of smart meters is to provide real-time price information. Consumers no longer need to pay at the average rate, but can program smart home appliances or thermostats, and like many corporate users, let appliances run at the lowest electricity prices at night or on weekends. This helps Maine and other places reduce overall electricity demand, and Maine residents use 1/3 of the state's electricity supply.

Those more advanced applications are still theoretical. The State-Maine Electric Power Company stated that the company had installed smart meters for economic reasons because the company would be able to dismiss a large number of meter readers and sell a large number of trucks. Meter-readers would drive cars during the annual meter reading process. Travel 2 million miles. Carroll said that the entire project will cost 192 million U.S. dollars. Even if it is part of U.S. energy, it will take 15 years for the company to recover its costs.

In order to quell the public's opposition to smart meters, the Maine State Electricity Regulatory Authority in May last year requested the China-Myanmar Power Corporation to allow “rare” people who are reluctant to adopt this technology to opt out of the project. The important thing is that there are not many people who choose to refuse because the smart meter operates in the form of a network, and the data transmission between the meters is completely realized. The State and Maine Power Company now charges users who choose to keep older analog meters a monthly fee of $12.

Friedman is now also fighting this charge-up decision. In his opinion, such charges are equivalent to extortion. He said: "If you must spend money to avoid victimization, what would you call such an act?" The date of the court hearing is May 10, and the oral argument in the court of the Supreme Court of Maine will be in Bangor City. Live broadcast over the Internet, spread throughout the United States Wi-Fi routers and smart phones.