The scariest tech of 2017, period, end of sentence

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  • Everything that scared us in 2017

    Everything that scared us in 2017

    In 2017, some tech trends scared us more than others. This year, these were the ones keeping us up at night... starting with the destruction of identity privacy.

    "I continue to be surprised that people haven't realized that identity privacy was destroyed by the Equifax fiasco," says contributing editor Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols. "For years -- decades -- we've used Social Security numbers as a de facto national-identity number. I expect consumer fraud to explode any day now to levels that could wreck the economy."

    Photo by: Gorodenkoff Productions OU/Getty Images/iStockphoto

    Caption by: ZDNet Staff

  • We were scared of lack of consequences, too

    We were scared of lack of consequences, too

    "While the smallest segment of this [hacked] information can cause utter chaos in a person's life, there seems to be no real consequences to... lax security resulting in theft," says contributor Charlie Osborne. "That's frightening."

    Photo by: Baris Onal/Getty Images

    Caption by: ZDNet Staff

  • We were scared of drones

    We were scared of drones

    "Love 'em, but they're in the hands of amateurs -- including me," CBSi distinguished lecturer David Gerwitz says about drones. "We'll see them drop out of the sky on people, drop payloads, spy, and otherwise cause constant trouble."

    Photo by: Getty Images/iStockphoto

    Caption by: ZDNet Staff

  • Government was scared of drones

    Government was scared of drones

    We're not along in fearing drones, by the way. They're a national-security concern, too. FBI director Christopher Wray told a US Senate panel that terrorist organizations have used drones to unleash attacks overseas.

    "The expectation is it's coming here imminently," Wray said.

    Photo by: Getty Images

    Caption by: ZDNet Staff

  • You were scared of drones

    You were scared of drones

    Oh: And the rest of America is spooked, too. According to a new survey, a drone swarm is the No. 1 technology fear of Americans, topping self-driving cars, self-learning computers, and "robots that teach each other."

    Photo by: Getty Images/iStockphoto

    Caption by: ZDNet Staff

  • We were scared of ransomware

    We were scared of ransomware

    "The WannaCry attack showed how easy it is for ransomware to bring things crashing to a halt, especially with the aid of self-propagating tools like EternalBlue," says senior reporter Danny Palmer.

    Photo by: Rob Engelaar/AFP/Getty Images

    Caption by: ZDNet Staff

  • We were scared of history repeating

    We were scared of history repeating

    Six weeks after WannaCry, the Petya cyberattack struck. "[It] showed that many just hadn't learned lessons from the previous outbreak," Palmer says. "Just imagine the havoc that can be caused if this careless attitude to device security is taken in an ever-more connected world."

    Photo by: Getty Images/iStockphoto

    Caption by: ZDNet Staff

  • We were scared of proximity-based dating features

    We were scared of proximity-based dating features

    "I'm really creeped out by proximity-based dating features, like Match.com's Missed Connections," says staff writer Stephanie Condon. "Sounds like a great stalker tool to me."

    A 2015 study on dating-app privacy risks urged users to proceed with caution.

    Photo by: Getty Images/iStockphoto

    Caption by: ZDNet Staff

  • We were scared of the digital divide

    We were scared of the digital divide

    "I think about [the digital divide] whenever I go to a tech conference in San Francisco, and pass through the tents that line the streets between the Caltrain station and the Moscone Center," our Stephanie Condon says. "I worry about people who will be left out of a more connected society."

    Photo by: Spencer Platt/Getty Images

    Caption by: ZDNet Staff

  • We were scared of fake news

    We were scared of fake news

    "Russia's fake-news machine" stands accused of inserting itself into elections in the United States, France, Germany, and elsewhere. Freelance blogger Jack Schofield fears the "troll invasion" has played a "significant factor in whole countries taking catastrophic political decisions."

    Photo by: Joel Saget/AFP/Getty Images

    Caption by: ZDNet Staff

  • Congress was scared of fake news

    Congress was scared of fake news

    US Senators investigating Russian meddling don't think "active measures" to incite "chaos" ended on Election Day 2016, and have asserted that "every campaign and every election official" should heed the threat of continued interference.

    Photo by: Sergei Supinksy/AFP/Getty Images

    Caption by: ZDNet Staff

  • We were scared of our electrical infrastructure

    We were scared of our electrical infrastructure

    Make that, our "crappy" electrical infrastructure. That's how CBSi's David Gewirtz puts it when he explains why extreme-weather events, such as hurricanes, have the potential to "blast [us] back to the Stone Age."

    Photo by: Michael Krinke Photography/Getty Images/iStockphoto

    Caption by: ZDNet Staff

  • We feared face recognition

    We feared face recognition

    The biometric technology is at airports, banks and soon, on your iPhone X. The growing use of facial recognition is a concern of our Stephanie Condon.

    Photo by: Getty Images/iStockphoto

    Caption by: ZDNet Staff

  • You feared facial recognition, too

    You feared facial recognition, too

    A just-released study confirms Condon is not alone in her fear: 40 percent of surveyed consumers think face-ID programs are "too risky and unknown for them to use right now," CNBC reported.

    Photo by: Igor Stevanovic/Getty Images/iStockphoto

    Caption by: ZDNet Staff

  • We were scared of ICOs

    We were scared of ICOs

    "I see a towering disaster in the ICO (Initial Coin Offering) sector," says ZDNet contributor Tom Foremski. "Billions are being invested in technology startups of dubious qualifications and abilities... It's wide open to abuse."

    Photo by: Getty Images/iStockphoto

    Caption by: ZDNet Staff

  • We feared other things about ICOs, too

    We feared other things about ICOs, too

    Per Foremski, an ICO collapse would also hamper legitimate developments in cryptocurrency, and, in turn, hurt the developing world's ability to access small loans and e-commerce.

    Photo by: Thomas Söllner/Getty Images/iStockphoto

    Caption by: ZDNet Staff

  • We feared the smart toaster

    We feared the smart toaster

    As recently noted by senior reporter Danny Palmer, "billions" of Internet of Things (IoT) devices have hit the market, and settled into our homes and offices "with almost no thought put into cybersecurity."

    Photo by: Getty Images/iStockphoto

    Caption by: ZDNet Staff

  • But wait, there's one more chilling thought...

    But wait, there's one more chilling thought...

    ZDNet UK reviews editor Charles McLellan says he fears IoT cyberattacks could devastate "critical infrastructure in healthcare, energy, transport, manufacturing" and other sectors.

    Photo by: Getty Images/iStockphoto

    Caption by: ZDNet Staff

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Here are the products, apps, and trends that chilled our staff to the bone this year... no icicles necessary

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Everything that scared us in 2017

In 2017, some tech trends scared us more than others. This year, these were the ones keeping us up at night... starting with the destruction of identity privacy.

"I continue to be surprised that people haven't realized that identity privacy was destroyed by the Equifax fiasco," says contributing editor Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols. "For years -- decades -- we've used Social Security numbers as a de facto national-identity number. I expect consumer fraud to explode any day now to levels that could wreck the economy."

Caption by: ZDNet Staff

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