The Internet-of-Things: A Surveillance Wonderland

Abstract

The growing use of computer technologies, devices and communication platforms in everyday life create a paradox. The Internet-of-Things (IoT) based on interconnected devices makes everyday life smarter, more convenient and more efficient and everyone benefits from this technological development, albeit with little understanding of the security concerns. The increased use of the Internet-of-Things migrates away from the laptop, the tablet and the smartphone, and the security features on these internets linked devices such as GPSs, VRDs, cameras, cars, businesses and home automation, sensors and alarm systems lag far behind. Smart devices or the Internet-of-Things are not sufficiently updated, and security measures are lacking, which creates a surveillance wonderland for several actors. The European General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) was introduced in 2018, and the regulation established rules for data processing and controlling of identifiable personal data. Despite this regulation, data collection is booming for various reasons. Due to the lack of transparency about data collection, the online IoT users are often unable to identify the countless number of actors involved in the data collecting and processing procedures despite the transparency requirement in the GDPR. This chapter focuses on the challenges related to the IoT market and the security of the devices. The predominant focus is on smart TVs and the use of surveillance measures in a public and private context. The chapter discusses the security problems related to the Internet-of-Things, the lack of regulation and awareness of the security threat.