People are, by nature, a bit risk-averse when it comes to new technology. They like to trust that a given gadget will work when asked to, will protect what needs protecting and won’t break when the stakes are high. The IoT is still earning this level of trust among the mass of consumers and it’s slowly gaining ground among industrial and other business customers.
Helping the process along is the Online Trust Alliance (OTA), a non-profit with the mission to enhance online trust. It has now released its most recent update of its IoT Trust Framework, a comprehensive global initiative to provide guidance for device manufacturers and developers so that they can improve the security, privacy and sustainability of connected home devices, wearable fitness and health technologies, and what’s more, the data they collect.
This new version includes U.S. and international feedback from more than 100 companies and organizations. They range from retailers and device manufacturers to security and privacy subject matter experts, and include Underwriters Laboratories, the National Association of Realtors, the Center for Democracy and Technology, the International Telecommunications Union and the European Union Agency for Network and Information Security.
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“The Trust Framework represents a significant level of international collaboration. Organizations, advocate groups and NGOs through the world have recognized the importance and criticality of developing a baseline Framework to help protect consumers, businesses and the associated data,” said Craig Spiezle, Executive Director and President, OTA. “Unfortunately, in this rush to market we have witnessed the perils of the lack of robust security and responsible privacy practices. The Trust Framework has been designed to address these issues and represents a significant step forward to protect consumers and their data today and in the years ahead.”
To discuss the Framework and its implications, and to get feedback, the OTA also will host an all-day Summit in Washington D.C. on Nov. 18.
“As someone with a long career in the technology industry and as an entrepreneur, I know firsthand how quickly technologies have developed to become critical to our daily lives,” said Congresswoman Suzan DelBene, Co-chair, Congressional IoT Caucus. “We’re in the dawn of a new innovation era, with everything from cars to wristbands connecting to the Internet. But we don’t want to wake up one morning to find ourselves asking, ‘Who hacked my coffeemaker?’ Lawmakers and industry leaders like the OTA need to work together to ensure we’re protecting consumers while also enabling these new technologies to thrive.”
Companies like AVG Technologies, DigiCert, Identity Guard, LifeLock, Mark Monitor, Microsoft, SiteLock, Symantec, TRUSTe and Verisign have come out in support of the Framework, and are offering input to its development. Its goals include giving guidance to manufacturers and developers that will help them reduce vulnerabilities and adopt responsible privacy and data stewardship practices, promote “privacy and security by design” as an industry conduct model, and to issue criteria and mechanisms for building an enforceable code of conduct and certification program.
To review the Framework, provide feedback, or find information on joining the IoT Working Group, visit https://otalliance.org/IoT .
In collaboration we trust.
Edited by
Kyle Piscioniere
