Smart Meters or Sneaky Spies? Sacramento’s Electricity Surveillance Scandal!

In Sacramento, the Municipal Utility District (SMUD) is stirring up trouble with smart electric meters that don’t just measure your energy usage but may also double as snooping devices. Over the past decade, these smart meters have enabled SMUD to report suspiciously high electricity consumption to police, leading to thousands of tips, including misjudged accusations of illegal activities like marijuana farming. Talk about a buzzkill—charging your electric wheelchair could lead to you getting a surprise visit from the cops!

As if this wasn’t eyebrow-raising enough, the threshold for what constitutes “suspicious” energy use has dropped dramatically. Just ten years ago, using 7,000 kWh in a month was the red flag; today, that number stands at a mere 2,800 kWh. So, if you’ve cranked up the air conditioning during a heatwave or have some notable hobbies like, say, cryptocurrency mining, you could be next on SMUD’s watch list. It’s like living in a reality show nobody signed up for where the stakes are your home—and possibly your freedom!

The Electronic Frontier Foundation has jumped into the fray, claiming this data-sharing partnership is an invasion of privacy and likely illegal under California law. With police authorities allegedly targeting homes based on names, the stakes are high, and the fallout could spell trouble for innocent residents. So the question is, are we cool with the idea that our utility bills might lead the police to our doors? Or should we be giving those smart meters a firm talking-to—or better yet, a one-way ticket to the recycling bin?

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