FTC Report Reveals Consumer Concerns About the Internet of Things

The Internet of Things is a nebulous buzzword that refers to anything that connects to the internet. In an attempt to better define the government’s approach to the Internet of Things the Federal Trade Commission has released a report [PDF], which examines the pros and cons of Internet of Things adoption for consumers.

The FTC hosted an in-house workshop to discuss some of the primary concerns regarding theInternet of Things, one of which was security. Participants noted that the Internet of Things could harm consumers in several ways:

1. Enabling unauthorized access and misuse of personal information
2. Facilitating attacks on other systems
3. Creating risks to personal safety

Another major primary concern, according to the report, is the amount of data being exposed to the public space that is the internet.