Another government wants to interfere with big tech practices (and, by default, your personal practices)

Government officials worldwide have apparently gone crazy coming up with new regulations (usually unwarranted) for tech companies such as Apple. 

The latest is the Product Security and Telecommunications Infrastructure (PSTI) Act. All internet connected smart devices will be required by law to meet minimum-security standards. 

According to the act, manufacturers will be legally required to protect consumers from hackers and cyber criminals from accessing devices with internet or network connectivity – from smartphones to games consoles and connected fridges – as the UK becomes the first country in the world to introduce these laws.  

Manufacturers will be banned from having weak, easily guessable default passwords like “admin” or “12345” and if there is a common password the user will be promoted to change it on start-up. The British government says this will help prevent threats like the damaging Mirai attack in 2016 which saw 300,000 smart products compromised due to weak security features.

The PSTI Act is a joint product of the Department for Science, Innovation, and Technology, the National Cyber Security Cenre, and the Office for Product Safety and Standards. Personally, I don’t want any government — British or otherwise — telling me what type of passwords I can use. 

As I’ve said before, many of the laws in the UK, US, and elsewhere are made by politicians who can’t, for example, get their own budgets and practices under control. They should butt out and let free enterprise tech with companies like Apple, Google, and Microsoft.