The Internet of things (loT) is a system of interrelated computing devices, mechanical and digital machines provided with unique identifiers (UlDs) and the ability to transfer data over a network without requiring human – to – human or human – to – computer interaction. The definition of the lnternet of things has evolved due to the convergence of multiple technologies, real-time analytics , machine learning, commodity sensors and embedded systems. Traditional fields of embedded systems, wireless sensor networks, control systems, automation ( including home and building automation), and others all contribute to enabling the internet of things .ln consumer market, IoT technology is most synonyms with products pertaining to the concept of the ” smart home “, covering devices and appliances (such as lighting fixtures, thermostats, home security systems and cameras and other home appliances) that support one or more common ecosystems, and can be controlled via devices associated with that ecosystem, such as smartphone and smart speakers. There are a number of serious concerns about dangers in the growth of loT, especially in the areas of privacy and security, and consequently industry and governmental moves to address these concerns have begun. The main concept of a network of smart device was discussed as early as 1982 , with a modified Coca-Cola vending machine at Carnegie Mellon University becoming the first lnternet – connected appliance, able to report its inventory and whether newly loaded drinks were cold or not. Mark Weiser’s 1991 paper on ubiquitous computing, ” The Computer of the 21st Century”, as well as academic venues such as UbiComp and PerCom produced the contemporary vision of the loT. In 1994, Reza Raji described the concept in IEEE Spectrum as “[moving]” small packets of data to a large set of nodes, so as to integrate and automate everything from home appliances to entire factories.” Between 1993 and 1997 , several companies proposed solutions like Microsoft’s at Work or Novell’s NEST .The field gained momentum when Bill Joy envisioned device – to – device communication as a part of his ” Six Webs ” framework, presented at the World Economic Forum at Davos in 1999 . The term “lnternet of things” was likely coined by Kevin Ashton is of Procter & Gamble, later MIT’s Auto ID Center, in 1999,though he prefers the phrase “Internet for things. ” At that point, he viewed radio – frequency identification (RFID) as essential to the Internet of things , which would allow computers to manage all individual things. Defining the Internet of things as “simply the point in time when more ‘things or object’ were connected to the lnternet than people ” , Cisco Systems estimated that the loT was “born” between 2008 and 2009,with the things / people ratio growing from 0.08 in 2003 to 1.84 in 2010. The key driving force behind the lnternet of things is the MOSFET ( metal-oxide – semiconductor field -effect transistor or MOS transistor), which was originally invented by Mohamed M. Atalla and Dawon Kahng at Bell Labs in 1959.The MOSFET is the basic building block of most modern electronics, including computers , smartphones ,tablets and Internet services. MOSFET scaling miniaturization at a pace predicted by Dennard scaling and Moore’s law has been the driving force behind technological advances in the electronics industry since the late 20th century. MOSFET scaling has been extended into the early 21st century with advances such as reducing power consumption , silicon – on – insulator (SOI) semiconductor device fabrication, and multi – core processor technology, leading up to the Internet of things, which is being driven by MOSFETs scaling down to nanoelectronic levels with reducing energy consumption. One of the key drivers of the loT is data. The success of the idea of connecting devices to make them more efficient is dependent upon access to and storage & processing of data. For this purpose, companies working on the loT collect data from multiple sources and store it in their cloud network for further processing. This leaves the door wide open for privacy and security dangers and single point vulnerability of multiple systems. The other issues pertain to consumer choice and ownership of data and how to it used. Though still in their infancy, regulations and governance regarding these issues of privacy, security, and data ownership continue to develop. IoT regulation depends on the country. Some examples of legislation that is relevant to privacy and data collection are: the US Privacy Act 1974 , OECD Guidelines on the Protection of Privacy and Transborder Flows of Personal Data of 1980, and the EU Directive 95/46/EC of 1995.
Current regulatory environment :
A report published by the Federal Trade Commission ( FTC) in January 2015 made the following three recommendations:
• Data security – At the time of designing loT companies should ensure that data collection, storage and processing would be secure at all the times. Companies should adopt a “defence in depth ” approach and encrypt data at each stage.
•Data consent – users should have a choice as to what data they share with loT companles and the users must be informed if their data gets exposed.
•Data minimization -loT companies should collect only the data they need and retain the collected information only for a limited time.
However, the FTC stopped at just making recommendations for now. According to an FTC analysis, the existing framework, consisting of the FTC Act , the Fair Credit Reporting Act, and the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act, along with developing consumer education and business guidance, participation in multi -stakeholder efforts and advocacy to other agencies at the federal, state and local level, is sufficient to protect consumer rights. A resolution passed by the Senate in March 2015, is already being considered by the Congress. The resolution recognized the need for formulating a National Policy on loT and the matter of privacy, security and spectrum. Furthermore, to provide an impetus to be the loT ecosystem, in March, 2016 , a bipartisan group of four Senators proposed a bill, The Developing Innovation and Growing the Internet of things (DlGlT) Act, to direct the Federal Communications Commission to assess the need for more spectrum to connect loT devices. Approved on 28 September 2018, Senate Bill No. 327 goes into effect on 1 January 2020.The bill requires ” a manufacturer of a connected device, as those terms are defined, to equip the device with a reasonable security feature or features that are appropriate to the nature and function of the device, appropriate to the information it may collect, contain or transmit, and designed to protect the device and any information contained therein from unauthorized access, destruction, use, modification or disclosure.” Several standards for the lot industry are actually being established relating to automobiles because most concerns arising from use of connected cars apply to healthcare devices as well. In fact, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is preparing cybersecurity guidelines and a database of best practices to make automotive computer systems more secure.
A recent report from the World Bank examines the challenges and opportunities in government adoption of loT. These include –
•Still early days for the loT in government.
•Underdeveloped policy and regulatory frameworks.
•Unclear business models, despite strong value proposition.
•Clear institutional and capacity gap in government AND the private sector.
•lnconsistent data valuation and management.
•lnfrastructure a major barrier.
•Government as an enabler.
•Most successful pilots share common characteristics (public – private partnership, local,leadership)
In conclusion, Internet of Things is the concept in which the virtual world of information technology connected to the real world of things. The technologies of lnternet of things such as RFID and Sensor make our life become better and more comfortable.
