Earlier this week, The Hill, the highly-respected Capitol Hill newspaper, published an op-ed co-authored by Chris Rezendes of INEX Advisors and me on the ever-important topic of IoT privacy and security (or lack thereof!).
In it, we warned that “on the heels of the NSA scandal, news of security problems’ threat to privacy may cripple the IoT before it achieves its promise.”
We went on to explain that:
“The record on security and privacy is not reassuring.
“The Obama administration has almost entirely ignored the Internet of Things (by contrast, it’s frequently mentioned by the Chinese leadership, which has invested massive amounts in the technology) . The president has never mentioned it, and the FTC is the only federal agency that has begun to protect IoT privacy and security.”
We called for public-private collaboration to make IoT security and privacy a priority:
“Individual companies must make privacy and security a priority. Opaque user agreements such as Facebook’s letting the service provider remarket or redeploy user data won’t be acceptable. A recent INEX study of one multi-billion industrial market revealing 96 percent of industrial equipment owner/operators believe they own data from their machines, and access to it is theirs to determine — not the machine’s builder or service providers that connect it. Customers must legally own their online data, determine who has rights to what, and sharing must be “opt in”, with ZERO sharing as the default.
“As for security, companies should explore Resilient Networking, a concept developed for the Department of Homeland Security framing new approaches to network/cyber security in more connected, distributed, automated, and dynamic digital networks.
“But individual efforts aren’t as important as collaborative ones, again, because of the data-sharing that is central to the IoT’s transformative power. We’re encouraged by formation of the IPSO Alliance and the IoT Consortium, which make security and privacy a priority.
“The president must also become involved in this issue. One reason is that the IoT will benefit government: cities worldwide are already applying the IoT, and it can make government in general more effective and responsive. Working closely with the private sector is a priority because 85 percent of the nation’s critical infrastructure, including the electric grid, pipelines and chemical plants, is in private hands, and is the focus of IoT initiatives such as a the “smart grid” to make them more interconnected and reliable – but also more vulnerable to a coordinated attack.”
That’s our opinion on this crucial issue. What’s yours?
P.S. A reminder that these issues will be front and center in the panel on security and privacy that I will moderate at the IoT Summit, to be held October 1st and 2nd at the National Press Club in DC. Don’t miss it!
