Privacy by design : principles as a foundation to a more secure Internet of Things

The Internet of Things (IoT) is a revolutionary concept that emerged in the late 21st century, whereby everyday objects such as household items, cars, and wearables, equipped with sensors and (Radio Frequency Identification) RFID chips, can communicate with the internet and to their physical surroundings. These chips allow the connected items to share information, and allow the user to collect information about his/her “quantified self”, measuring personal data such as habits of usage, lifestyle, and location through internet networks. IoT enabled devices are designed to collect, store, share, and analyze of highly personal data ubiquitously and in real time. However, with this new affordance of connectivity, comes a potential loss of privacy for users, as ever increasing sets of personal data are collected and tracked. As such, there is a pressing need for privacy considerations to be embedded within the early stages of design of connected devices and networks.