Setting a privacy and security comfort zone in the internet of things

Abstract

This paper seeks to raise awareness of the potential benefits and detriments resulting from sensor intrusion in the Internet of Things (IoT). The conclusion of this paper is that the IoT has been rendered inevitable as the result of a confluence of historical trends, but that we can make choices regarding its fundamental architecture that can tip the balance of harm and benefit more toward individual or institutional rights and obligations. Once the choices are “baked in” they will be more difficult to alter in future IoT iterations. It is hoped that collective attention to the issues raised in this paper will help to guide these decisions so that the IoT systems we build will result in fewer surprises.