The Internet of Things: many perspectives and many uncertainties

The internet has evolved from connecting computers to connecting actual “things”; these are physical objects that contain internal sensors and processors which enable the object to record and stream data directly to the web—and in real-time; the goal being to create seamless, ubiquitous communications.

This essentially describes the Internet of Things (IoT), or the Internet of Everything (IoE), as Plamen Nedeltchev refers to it in his article titled "The Internet of Everything is the New Economy" published on website of Cisco Systems, Inc. Nedeltchev ("Ph.D., Distinguished IT Engineer, Cisco") describes IoE as a future that is already here, and says that it is "potentially the biggest business opportunity in the history of mankind." He says that by the end of 2013 the IoE market had a value approximately at $1.3 trillion, and over the next 20 years "could add as much as $15 trillion to the global gross domestic product."

What is this new "IoE Economy" that Nedeltchev is speaking towards, and how is different than our current and past economic system?

Besides the economic interests of technology companies, Nedeltchev also speaks towards the question of how IoE will affect our daily lives (i.e., cars, energy, healthcare, etc.). He goes on to briefly speak on the topics of security and privacy, but does not seemed to concerned as he says, "That's to be expected. As it is said, 'Every challenge is an opportunity in disguise.' And most often, big opportunities come from addressing big challenges." This sounds like the flowery language of a political candidate up for re-election. A candidate is selling themselves, but in this case Cisco is selling "the Internet of Everything", and they clearly already have their foot in the door. They even make a short video that is like a smooth and visually appealing power-point presentation (below).

 

When considering the larger technological structure at the background of the everyday devices that have already catalyzed a societal transformation Nedeltchev's article clearly shows a more specific perspective in this new paradigm of the Internet of Things. He speaks of utopian prospect from an IoE economy, and says, "Although we may never solve world hunger, in this new economy, some aspects of utopia could likely become reality." 

In another article, published in the Guardian entitled "Hacked dog, a car that snoops on you and a fridge full of adverts: the perils of the internet of things" author Marc Goodman gives a perspective that is very different than that of Nedeltchev's article. Goodman walks through some of the background and history of the Internet of Things and then goes on to paint a picture of what an IoT world will look like. He speaks towards the subject in a prospective tone, similar to Nedeltchev, but in a more urgent tone; he says that, "while there is undoubtedly big money to be made in the IoT, its social implications may even outstrip its economic impact." He more clearly shows his skepticism of the promises that the IoT future holds when he says:

As we venture down the path toward ubiquitous computing, the results and implications of the phenomenon are likely to be mind-blowing. Just as the introduction of electricity was astonishing in its day, it eventually faded into the background, becoming an imperceptible, omnipresent medium in constant interaction with the physical world. Before we let this happen, and for all the promise of the IoT, we must ask critically important questions about this brave new world. For just as electricity can shock and kill, so too can billions of connected things networked online.

If there is a question about a person's vulnerability, with regard to security and privacy in an IoT world, who will people invest their trust in? One major point in Goodman's article is the "hackability", so to speak, of the communications technologies that make up ( and will inevitably make up) the landscape of IoT. He says, "Before we add billions of hackable things and communicate with hackable data transmission protocols, important questions must be asked about the risks for the future of security, crime, terrorism, warfare and privacy." 

Goodman draws a distinction between the physical and non-physical aspects of the communications technologies that make up the IoT landscape. The non-physical elements are things like radio-frequency identification (RFID) technologies (like those found in security IDs or many credit cards), near-field communication (NFC) technologies (mobile payment services like Google Wallet utilize this), and Bluetooth communications. All of these have security vulnerabilities just as the physical elements of computer systems: "including the microchips, electronics, controllers, memory, circuits, components, transistors and sensors--core elements of the internet of things." 

Using this distinction between the physical and non-physical components of communication technologies, Goodman makes an analogy to aspects of our own lives that are physical and non-physical, and he points out that everything we do online--our activities, or our "bread crumb trails"--can already be tracked, stored, and sold. This online presence would be the 'non-physical' aspect of the analogy, which becomes clear when Goodman asserts that with "the widespread adoption of more networked devices, what people do in their homes, cars,workplaces, schools and communities will be subjected to increased monitoring and analysis by the corporations making these devices." Just as our online movements can be tracked, IoT is making it possible to do the same in the physical world. As for the near future, Goodman says that "Real space will become just like cyberspace."

Will individuals be able to choose not to participate in a super-connected world of the Internet of Things? For those who choose to "stay off the grid", will they be able to interact and function with the rest of society without submitting to surveillance, personal data collection, and terms of service agreements?