Jeff John Roberts, writing in GigaOM, writes about how we don't have rules yet to govern the Internet connections that have been brought to physical devices--the so-called "internet of things": "The first murder through the internet of things will likely take place in 2014, police service Europol warned this month. The crime could be carried out by a pacemaker, an insulin dosage device, a hacked brake pedal or myriad others objects that control life-and-death functions and are now connected to the internet." He notes that there are completely open questions on whether manufacturers of Internet-connected devices are going to face liability for privacy breaches: "In the future, judges may start asking if the concept of 'privacy by design' should become a safety standard, and even require internet companies to adopt the same pre-cautions as auto makers or playground designers."
Lawyer and Legal Journalist
