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Friday Poll: Scariest tech happening of 2010?

Sure, blood-drenched Halloween zombies can be spooky. But not as scary as some of the more frightening tech moments this year to date.

Matt Hickey
With more than 15 years experience testing hardware (and being obsessed with it), Crave freelance writer Matt Hickey can tell the good gadgets from the great. He also has a keen eye for future technology trends. Matt has blogged for publications including TechCrunch, CrunchGear, and most recently, Gizmodo. Matt is a member of the CNET Blog Network and is not an employee of CBS Interactive. E-mail Matt.
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Matt Hickey
2 min read
Matt Hickey
This was my costume last year. Really scary (if you're a cheeseburger). Andy Pixel

So here we are on the verge of another Halloween weekend, and I've yet to be sufficiently scared. That said, as I look back at the year to date, I'm a little freaked out--2010 has had its share of frightening tech moments.

Sure, Facebook faced some serious privacy charges, but Firefox now has a plug-in that lets you spy on everyone on your network. Zoinks!

You likely heard about the Stuxnet virus that went around not long ago. It appears to have been built to disrupt power grids around the world. That's frightening.

At the Black Hat hackers' conference in Vegas, IOActive's Barnaby Jack showed just how easy it could be to cause ATMs to spew out hundreds of dollars for free. The holes have since reportedly been plugged, but that's still a feat that should chill banks (and customers) to the bones.

Or what about that mohawk-wearing robot that kills wasps? As a WASP, I feel threatened. But it's not just because robots are designed to kill things, but because of their future brains.

A computer program has passed the Turing test. You put that mind into a robot's body and you've got someone looking for Sarah Connor. And you've got me hiding under my bed--clutching my Wampa Rug.

But creepy robots, viruses, free money for everyone, and spying via Web browser together make for an all-star cast of geek fear. Of those, what scared you the most this year? Or perhaps I missed something. If so, please mention in comments what ghastly tech happening of the year had your blood curdling.