The day that your fridge speaks directly to your local supermarket is fast approaching. But what will it say?
As the Internet of Things (IoT) quickly becomes a reality, pundits say that the future looks bright; however there are still many concerns surrounding privacy.
Machine to machine (M2M) technology has been around for some time now, especially in areas like fleet management. But the concept of devices talking to each other is now becoming much more prolific. Fridges talking to supermarkets, street lights talking to local councils, cars talking to roads – the ideas and possibilities are endless.
[themecolor]Does less human intervention mean greater productivity?[/themecolor]
William Webb, a contributor to Computer Weekly, feels that the vast majority of these applications will inevitably be a force for good.
“The world will be a better, less frustrating place to live in. Productivity will improve through less human intervention leading to growth,” he explains.
However, not everyone shares the same level of optimism as Webb. There are many who worry that the flow of personal data through the Internet of Things will be susceptible to interception.
[themecolor]Encryption concerns still remain[/themecolor]
What’s more, with low power devices such as sensors often being the endpoint of this interconnected world, encryption will not always be possible.
It is not only the issue of encryption that needs to be addressed but the legal safety nets. Current European data protections frameworks were not made for the new IoT paradigm and as such, regulations will need to be updated in order to ensure that personal information is protected by statute.
