Last month, the FTC held a public workshop on the “Internet of Things” (or “IoT”), during which it examined the privacy and security implications of everyday objects being connected to the Internet and to each other. The workshop—which considered “things” ranging from connected cars to remote-controlled defibrillators—brought together academics, business and industry representatives, and consumer advocacy groups to explore these issues.
The participants voiced a variety of views about what the IoT means for consumer privacy. One memorable—and certainly debatable—perspective was that of Vint Cerf, Google’s chief Internet evangelist and lead engineer on the Internet prototype “ARPANET,” who told the audience that “privacy may actually be an anomaly” and ultimately unsustainable in our increasingly connected world.
There were other key moments in the workshop that helped to illuminate the FTC’s position on how businesses should approach the IoT. Now that the initial reports are in, we provide 5 key takeaways after the jump.