Last week major players in the Internet of Things (IoT) attended GSMA Mobile 360 Series – Privacy and Security in The Hague. The event, which is in its first year, is specifically designed to help the mobile enterprise ecosystem cooperate and share best practices on these key subjects.
Privacy and security are themes of growing importance in an age defined by the rapid uptake of digital services. Recent evidence suggests that they will be critical in determining the success of the IoT, which has the potential to recast everyday life by improving wellness, safety and access to goods and services.
This transformation is starting to take shape. However, the sudden and dramatic growth of connected devices and services has resulted in the entire ecosystem raising their efforts to address new and emerging privacy and security threats. This has been made a high priority owing to the rise of high profile data leaks and security breaches that have been widely reported by the world’s media.
This event was indicative of the shift the industry is making towards a more trusted and secure IoT. Recently, a significant achievement in IoT Security was made through the publication of the GSMA IoT Security Guidelines which provides a standard consultative document for those developing IoT services. The guidelines are designed to help all players in the industry establish a common understanding of security and privacy issues, establish best practice and provide recommendations on how to mitigate common security threats and weaknesses.
The IoT Security Guidelines were showcased at the event, and became a major point of discussion. In the event’s opening keynote, GSMA Director General, Mats Granryd raised the importance of these guidelines, as well as highlighting the mobile industry’s lead role in uniting the broader ecosystem to share best practices and cooperate to accelerate the delivery of IoT solutions.
The theme of privacy was represented in the workshop: Applying Privacy by Design Principles to the Internet of Things (IoT) – A Case of Trust. Hosted by The GSMA’s Senior Manager of Regulatory & Public Policy, Yiannis Theodorou, the workshop examined practical considerations for ‘building in’ privacy when developing IoT solutions and underscored the need for partners in an IoT value chain to agree on responsibilities and liabilities involving the use of their customers’ data.
Customers are now assessing the value of IoT solutions beyond the fundamental services that they provide. Increasingly, people’s willingness to adopt an IoT service depends on the trust they have in the service provider and how they handle and uses their personal data. Beyond reputation, IoT companies are finding that mishandling data and non-compliance can result in fines, which can be fatal to startups and new entrants to the market.
Mobile network operators are already playing a crucial role in connecting new devices and services to the IoT across many verticals. Their knowledge of local markets, regulatory compliance and extensive experience of dealing with customer data puts them in an ideal position to unite and guide other companies and policy experts in the IoT.