#IntelUpgrade: Intel’s Context-Aware Devices Won’t Sacrifice Personal Privacy

Last week I had the pleasure of being Intel’s guest at their #IntelUpgrade event. Held at a swanky penthouse at the Royalton Hotel near Bryant Park in New York City, I got an inside look at the thought process behind Intel’s product design, the way their research informs product development to allow people to form a strong connection with their devices, and an opportunity to preview Intel’s context-aware technology that could be woven throughout our daily lives in the near future.

Intel’s goal through the event was to help attendees realize that Intel makes more than the processors inside of our computers. Understanding what people love about technology is helping to inform their development of context-aware devices that can determine how we feel, who we are friends with, and what your preferences are in order to provide a more personal experience. Intel is currently conducting researching and developing context- aware devices to improve our relationship with the digital devices we use daily.

During the event I was treated to a demonstration of context-aware devices such as the Personal Vacation Assistant. The Personal Vacation Assistant is designed to simplify, yet maximize, your traveling experience thanks to features like built in navigation that can use your location to provide recommendations for restaurants or local sights, pull content from trusted travel sources like Fodor’s through wifi, check your online calendar and send reminders for dinner reservations or theater tickets, and has functionality to take photos and geotag them before merging them with other users’ or automatically uploading them in a timeline format to a blog.

While I loved the idea of the Personal Vacation Assistant and all the functionality that one device could provide, I was also a little wary about the device using geotagging to pinpoint my location and storing a wealth of personal information that could be harvested if not on a properly secured network.

Before I even had the opportunity to bring up privacy concerns, Intel representative Bernie Keany, said that privacy and security were incredibly important for the device and described how users would have to log in to exchange credentials before any personal information would be accessed. While we didn’t have a chance to get into where the personal information would be shared, Intel has a reputation for storing data on secure servers so I feel a more confident that my personal information wouldn’t be compromised by the use of such a robust little device when traveling.

Issues regarding privacy were also discussed when I stopped to learn about features of future cars. Intel is working with the automotive industry to design vehicles that will enhance our driving experience. By embedding technology in the framework of test cars, the Context-Aware Vehicle (aka Connected Car) uses face recognition software, environmental sensors, and personal preference to build a data profile for each driver. Such features allow the car to recognize the driver’s favorite music, preferred seat position, and preference for a warmer or cooler vehicle in order to make motorists more comfortable in the driver’s seat.

The car also features cameras throughout the interior and exterior to act as extra eyes for drivers. Cameras inside the car could recognize when a tired motorist starts to nod off and crank up the air conditioning and change the music from soothing to hard rock to help keep the driver awake. Exterior cameras would keep an eye on other cars on the road and provide warnings about who to watch out for on the road.

While some might argue that the watchful eyes of cameras seems a little too big brother-ish and the plethora of technology will contribute to unnecessary data mining, Intel says the idea of a connected car is simply about a customized driving experience. As someone who is always cautious about what I share through my use of technology, I was quite pleased to find out that information used to build a driver profile remains in the vehicle and there’s no black box in your connected car like those found in airplanes!

While Intel is probably best known for the processors that live inside our computers, it was exciting to have a look towards a future where the devices we love will become context-aware to enhance our experiences, keep us safe, and work together to streamline our already busy lives.

In accordance with the FTC Guidelines and WOMMA Code of Ethics, I am disclosing that Intel Corporation has covered travel to attend Upgrade Your Life in New York City. Additionally, I received products for consideration during the event. I am not expected to return products after my review period. No compensation was received for this post nor was it an expectation that we write about the event. All opinions are my own.