Internet of things (IoT) data accessibility: Ethical considerations

Abstract

Internet of Things (IoT) solutions are capable of providing a vast amount of information from various entities, including technical devices, environment and individuals. The growing data collection abilities make it easier to analyse the collected data, connect it to certain individuals and use this information both for their advantage and disadvantage. Considering the fact that the accessibility of IoT data collected from individuals is strongly bound to their privacy and legal rights, it is crucial to understand how the data collection, processing and distribution can be conducted in an ethically sustainable manner. Therefore, to fulfil their obligations to follow good ethical principles, the organisations behind the IoT implementations should identify and address the potential personal risks. However, there is a lack of sufficient guidelines needed for fulfilling the ethical requirements. For this purpose, we introduce a decision tree visualising the recommended data distribution practices on a stakeholder level.