From wearables to autonomous cars and smart-homes, today billions of devices are connected to the Internet in what we call the “Internet of Things” or “IoT”. These devices are already transforming our lives, but as they do, there are also serious challenges that must be addressed to maximize the potential benefits. 

As noted by the Internet society: “Projections for the impact of IoT on the Internet and economy are impressive, with some anticipating as many as 100 billion connected IoT devices and a global economic impact of more than $11 trillion by 2025”. At the same time, however, the Internet of Things raises significant challenges that could stand in the way of realizing its potential benefits. Attention-grabbing headlines about the hacking of Internet-connected devices, surveillance concerns, and privacy fears already have captured public attention. Technical challenges remain and new policy, legal and development challenges are emerging.