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The Politics Of The Internet Of Things

Posted Feb 25, 2016 by Dominique Guinard (@domguinard)

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Dominique Guinard
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ThePoliticsOfTheInternetOfThings|TechCrunch

Dominique Guinard is the co-founder and CTO

of EVRYTHNG.
How to join the network

The prospective scale of the Internet of Things

(IoT) has the potential to ll anyone looking
from the outside with the technical equivalent
of agoraphobia. However, from the inside, the
view is very different. Looked at in detail, it is a
series of intricate threads being aligned by a
complex array of organizations.

As with any new technological epoch, questions around shape, ownership and regulation
are starting to rise. Imagine trying to build the Internet again. Its like that, but at a bigger
scale.
The rst hurdle is that of technological standards. We are at a pivotal moment in the
development of the IoT. As the diversity of connected things grows, so does the potential
risk from not allowing each thing to talk to one another.
This begins with networking standards. From ZigBee to Z-Wave, EnOcean, Bluetooth LE or
SigFox and LoRa, there are simply too many competing and incompatible networking
standards from which to choose. Luckily enough, things seem to be converging and
consolidating.
Moreover, the already well-established alliances are regrouping. First in the indoors world,
where ZigBee 3.0 is getting closer to Googles Thread albeit still challenged by the
Bluetooth consortium, who are about to release the Bluetooth mesh standard. More
interestingly, the Wi-Fi Alliance is working on IEEE 802.11ah known as HaLow. All three
standards specically target lower power requirements and better range tailored for the
IoT.
Similarly, in the outdoors world, the Next Generation Mobile Networks (NGMN) Alliance
(working closely with the well-established GSMA, ruling the world of mobile standards) is
working on an important piece of the puzzle for the world of smart things: 5G. With
increased data range, lower latency and better coverage, it is vital to handle the multitude
of individual connections and will be aseriousglobal competitor to the existing LPWAN
(Low Power Wireless Area Networks), such as SigFox and LoRa.
Whilst trials are currently taking place,
commercial deployment is not
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Security is one of the biggest barriers

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expected until 2020. Before this can

happen, spectrum auctions must be
completed; typically a government

preventing mainstream consumer IoT

adoption.

refereed scrap between technology

and telecoms companies, with battle lines drawn on price. Its important to put an early
stake in the ground with regulators to ensure sucient spectrum is available at a cost that
encourages IoT to ourish, instead of being at the mercy of inated wholesale prices.
But the challenge doesnt stop at the network level; the data or application level is also a
big part of the game. The divergence in application protocols is only being compounded as
tech giants begin to make a bid to capture the space. Apple HomeKit, Google Weave and a
number of other initiatives are attempting to promote their own ecosystems, each with
their own commercial agendas.
Left to evolve in an unmanaged way, well end up with separate disparate approaches that
will inexcusably restrict the ability of the IoT to operate as an open ecosystem. This is a
movie weve seen before.
The web has already been through this messy process, eventually standardizing itself by
Darwinian principles of technology and practices of use. The web provided a simple and
scalable application layer for the Internet, a set of standards that any node of the Internet
could use whatever physical technology it uses to connect to the Internet.
The web is what made the Internet useful and ultimately successful. This is why a Web of
Things (WoT) approach is essential. Such an approach has substantial support already. A
WebThing Model has recently been submitted to W3C, based on research done by a
mixture of tech giants, startups and academic institutes. These are early tentative steps
toward an open and singular vision for the IoT.
The resolution of this issue opens up the possibility of a vast collaborative network, where
uniform data can optimize a wild array of existing processes. However, as data gradually
becomes the most valuable asset of a slew of once inanimate objects, what does this mean
for legacy companies who build the products which have had no previous data strategy?
The tech sector is comfortable with sharing and using such information, but for
companiesthat have their grounding in making everything from light bulbs to cars, this is a
new concept. Such organizations have traditionally had a much more closed operational
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approach, treating data like intellectual property something to be locked away.

To change this requires a cultural shift inside any business. Whilst this is not
insurmountable by any means, it brings to the fore the need to effect a change in mind-set
inside the boardroom. For such a sea change to happen, it will require education, human
resources and technology investment.

The security of a smart object is only

as strong as its weakest connected
link.

Security is one of the biggest barriers

preventing mainstream consumer IoT
adoption. A Fortinet survey found that
68 percent of global homeowners are
concerned about a data breach from a
connected device. And they should be:

Take a quick look at Shodan, an IoT search engine that gives you instantaneous access to
thousands of unsecured IoT devices, baby monitors included! In 2015, the U.S. Federal
Trade Commission stated that perceived risks to privacy and securityundermine the
consumer condence necessary for technologies to meet their full potential.
For manufacturers to boost consumer condence, they must be able to demonstrate that
their products are secure, something that seems to have come under increasing pressure
lately. The problem with security is that it is simply never achieved. Security is a constant
battle against the clock, deploying patches and improvements as they come.
Thisclearly canbe overwhelming for product manufacturers. In order to do this, relying on
an established IoT platform that has implemented comprehensive and robust security
methodologies and that can guide them through such a complex area is a wise move.
Consumers also share some responsibility in increasing the security of their data by
using strong passwords for product user accounts and on Internet-facing devices, like
routers or smart devices; use of encryption (like WPA2) when setting up Wi-Fi networks;
and installing any software updates promptly.
However, as consumer adoption of IoT rises, it is critical for manufacturers to ensure that
the security of smart, connected products is at the heart of their IoT strategy. After all, the
security of a smart object is only as strong as its weakest connected link.
Coupled with security, emergent issues around data privacy, sharing and usage will
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become something everyone will have to tackle, not just tech companies. In the datadriven world of IoT, the data that gets shared is more personal and intimate than in the
current digital economy.
For example, consumers have the ability to trade though their bathroom scales protected
data such as health and medical information, perhaps for a better health insurance
premium. But what happens if a consumer is supposed to lose weight, and ends up
gaining it instead? What control can consumers exert over access to their data, and what
are the consequences?
Consumers should be empowered with granular data-sharing controls (not all-or-nothing
sharing), and should be able to monetize the data they own and generate. Consumers
should also have a contract with a product manufacturer that adjusts over time
whether actively or automatically and that spells out the implications of either a rift in
data sharing, or in situations where the data itself is unfavorable.

Related Articles
IoT Could Be Used To Spy, Admits James Clapper
Why IoT Security Is So Critical
The Hierarchy of IoT Thing Needs

The onus here also lies on regulators to ensure that legal frameworks are in place to build
trust into the heart of the IoT from the very beginning. The industry needs embrace this
and embark on an open and honest dialogue with users from the very beginning.
Informed consent will never be more important, as data and metadata from connected
devices is able to build a hyper-personalized picture of individuals.
Brands would be wise to understand that the coming inux of consumer data is a potential
revenue stream that must be protected and nurtured. As such, the perception of privacy
and respect are tantamount for long-term engagement with customers. So much so that it
is likely that product manufacturers will start changing their business models to create
data-sharing incentives and perhaps even give their products away for free.
Due to its massive potential, the Internet of Things is advancing apace, driven largely by
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technology companies and academic institutions. However, only through wide-scale

education and collaboration outside of this group, will it truly hit full stride and make our
processes, resources utilization and, ultimately, our lives, better.
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