5 Keys to Guarding IoT Privacy from the Ground Up

As IoT technologies start to penetrate every aspect of our lives, the days of "don't like it, don't use it" have long since passed. Instead, if IoT is to succeed, we must give customers confidence that the products and devices being developed are safe and that their data is secure.

While some of this can be achieved through strong marketing messages, at the end of the day perhaps the best way to address customers' concerns is to place privacy at the forefront of your product from the very outset. Rather than expecting customers to 'protect' their own privacy, we should be providing them with devices that do everything possible to avoid putting that privacy at risk.

This is a serious challenge for engineers and developers to overcome, but it is one that is already being addressed across all levels of the development of the Internet of Things, from hobbyists to professional engineers. By including privacy protection 'as standard' designers are not only helping to put consumers' fears to rest, they are also providing a more stable infrastructure for the Internet of Things – and a strong platform for widespread adoption.

Telling engineers they need to increase their focus on privacy is one thing, but the reality of how to achieve this is a far more complex matter. While there is no one solution to 'fix' the issue of privacy, one of the best places for engineers to start is in attempting to ensure that all IoT devices conform to the Fair Information Practice Principles (FIPPs). Originally set out by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission, the FIPPs have become a go-to standard for safe guarding privacy online.

They include:

1. Notice – Ensuring consumers are made aware their information is being collected.
2. Choice – Providing users with the ability to opt-out of data collection.
3. Access/Accuracy – Allowing users to view the information collected and to verify or contest its accuracy.
4. Data Minimisation – Never collecting data unnecessarily or retaining it for longer than is required.
5. Security – Protecting all collected information from internal and external privacy breaches or threats.

To read complete and original post see here