By 2015, the world will have 25 billion smart thermostats, fitness bands, and other Internet-connected, data-spewing devices, according to the Federal Trade Commission. On Tuesday, that agency’s chairwoman, Edith Ramirez, devoted her CES 2015 keynote to warnings about the privacy and security risks of the so-called Internet of Things, or IoT. For those who logged in late, the Internet of Things, which last year displaced Big Data as the most hyped tech trend of 2014, is a popular term to denote the phenomenon whereby the (offline) world of things will gradually, and eventually, be fully connected to the Internet, such that there would no longer be any human or social activity that is beyond digital capture, as it were.
Whether it’s a remote valet parking assistant, which allows drivers to get out of their cars and remotely guide their empty car to a parking spot; a new fashionable bracelet that allows consumers to check their texts and see reviews of nearby restaurants; or smart glucose meters, which make glucose readings accessible both to those afflicted with diabetes and their doctors, the IoT has the potential to transform our daily lives. According to technology research agency Gartner, the number of ‘things’ connected to the Internet will reach 25 billion by the year 2020. A recent report by the Pew Research Center says that the Internet of Things will be a thriving reality by 2025.
But there are several concerns that need to be addressed. These include ubiquitous data collection, or the ability of sensors to collect sensitive personal information about consumers all the time and in real time; unexpected uses of consumer data, such using individual energy use patterns to set their homeowners’ insurance rates, and cyber security threats. The Internet of Things is a technology story, but like all technological advancements it very quickly and necessarily becomes a culture story.
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