OMG. I remember all the "tin foil hat" views people had about smart meters. 😂
The common smart meter only allows the electric company to read your meter without coming to your house or needing a hard link data connection.
They don't know what I have running and when it is running. In my case, I use the same energy when home and not home. The AC /heat stays the same (I have pets), the computer is always on, as is the refrigerator.
But yes, I remember all those crazy theories.