Privacy report. Rapid technological advancement, the IoT

Privacy Report
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Privacy Report
Digital ecosystems are highly dynamic as a result of the rapid technological advancement, particularly the Internet of Things (IoT). In particular, Kevin Ashton introduced the term “Internet of Things” when he suggested that people can use web-connected radio-frequency identification (RFID) technologies to track the movement of products in the distribution system from manufacturers to retailers. Besides, the proliferation of cheaper hardware sensors has significantly contributed to the emergence of smart house technology systems. Smart home technologies entail the interconnection of different appliances, namely television, home security, oven, refrigerator, vacuum cleaner, camera, and light and motion sensors. Today, getting a less expensive processor, ipv6, wireless coverage, and hardware sensors is not a problem like it used to be a few decades ago [2]. IoT applications have increased in number and complexity, which are developed for different digital ecosystems and industries such as manufacturing, smart home, agriculture, and healthcare. Currently, there exist over 16 billion units of IoT installed in the world, which are generating a vast amount of information. Every day, the number of devices interconnected over the Internet is rapidly increasing since the majority of people have access to powerful and affordable processors inbuilt in the electronic gadgets they are using. Due to the rapid advancement of digital ecosystems, the foundational principles of privacy are increasingly being challenged, particularly in smart home technologies.
In the realm of technology, privacy refers to the sustenance of personal space without interference by people and organizations. Notably, security has a significant difference from privacy. The former involves controlling and regulating who can access specific information. On the contrary, privacy is broader, and it comprises of how the data gathered is controlled, the period that the collected information is to be retained, who has access to the data, and the time that one can access specific information [3]. IoT enhances the collection and storage of sensitive data for commercial use. Besides, it constitutes various stakeholders, such as third-party companies, customers, and manufacturers of electronic devices. Third parties might include the developers of IoT applications and Internet service providers. Indeed, the use of the IoT gadgets have a high risk of privacy issues since these devices collect and store their personal identified information (PII). The PII involves names, date of birth, address, and credit card, and phone numbers [2]. If this information gets into the wrong hands, it can be highly detrimental to the owner. Consequently, the foundational privacy principles should be safeguarded at all costs, particularly in smart home technologies.
The most significant foundational principle of privacy arising from smart home technologies is privacy by default. In particular, privacy by default ensures that personal data is safeguarded automatically in a specific information technology (IT) system. For example, users of smart home technologies should be guaranteed that their information remains safe even if they do not use their systems. In other words, they should be assured that their data is protected by default. According to [1], the primary components of privacy by default that are challenged by smart home technologies include data minimization, collection limitation, and retention. Users of these IT systems do not know whether the PII collected is well-protected and if they adhere to the set regulations in that field. For example, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) dictates that third parties should get permission from data owners before sharing the information with others. If a security breach occurs, and people’s PII is compromised, these firms are required to notify their customers within 72 hours [2]. Since smart home technologies users do not understand the design of the installed IT system, it becomes hard for them to know whether their PII is kept safe, which is the minimum requirement. Moreover, once the data is gathered by the interconnected electronic devices, it must be retained for a specific period. However, it is a challenge to know if the information has been compromised or not. Overall, these problems jeopardize the foundational principle of privacy by default.
The other privacy concern in smart home technologies emanates from the privacy by design (PbD). As established by [2], PbD “enables privacy to be “built-in” to the design of the information systems and business processes, ensuring that privacy is considered before, and throughout, the development and implementation of all initiatives that involve personal information [2].” Based on this foundational principle, privacy should be integral to the architecture and design of the IT systems. In other terms, all stakeholders should be involved when creating an effective smart home t...