Privacy and the Internet of Things

Conclusion

The Internet of Things is a messy idea that’s captured the attention of the public, governments, academics, and industry. Whatever it is, however it is defined, the attention it generates is valuable because it encourages reflection on the past and future of privacy protection. For those who wish to see strong privacy values reflected in the technologies infusing the human environment, it’s helpful to review what those values are and what methods are available to embed them in products.

Privacy is not merely something to be traded upon, as if the data about us were currency and nothing else. It’s an emergent social property, relating to values, culture, power, social standing, dignity, and liberty. This report began from the perspective that people are more than the data they shed and volunteer. “We are citizens, not mere physical masses of data for harvesting,” observes socio-legal researcher Julia Powles.⁹⁶ Privacy is far more than a consideration of individualistic, personal harms—it is an essential element of a healthy, democratic society. Safeguarding it as technology progresses is both a personal and social interest.

There is plenty of room for people to knowingly divulge personal information in exchange for a service, and for businesses to make compelling cases for a symbiotic relationship with customers. But, when data is gathered invisibly and with weak permissions, or stored without easy ways to delete it, or the uses are poorly explained, or the custodians ...