http://www.zdnet.co.uk/blogs/communicat ... -10026367/Smart meters allow 'massive collection of personal data', EU watchdog warnsBy David Meyer , 11 June, 2012 12:03
Smart meters could be used to build extensive profiles of the households using them, Europe's privacy regulator has warned.
The European Data Protection Supervisor (EDPS) said in a statement on Monday that, while smart meters were potentially useful for controlling energy use, they will also "enable massive collection of personal data which can track what members of a household do within the privacy of their own homes".
According to the EDPS, which made the warning in an opinion document (PDF) for the European Commission, the data collected could spell out whether householders are at home or away, whether someone is using a specific medical device or baby monitor, and even "how they like to spend their free time".
...Link to the paper itself:
http://www.edps.europa.eu/EDPSWEB/webda ... ing_EN.pdf