Idea to Retire: A closed-platform Internet of Things

[Commentary] The Internet has gone through a major transition: in the year 2015, the number of devices connected by the Internet surpassed the number of people connected by the Internet. Public policymakers need to move past the idea that the Internet is something that we experience through a browser, using our mobile phones and personal computers. The Internet of Things (IoT) is here. With billions of sensors to learn from, there’s no reason governments shouldn’t use them to make better public policy. And firms should be allowed to do in-depth market research on the behavior of their customers and use smart devices to run their business efficiently.

It’s very likely that citizens and consumers will benefit from IoT innovations, but policymakers have to let go of the idea that the Internet is made up of cellphones and laptops. First and foremost, they must provide ways to ensure that people are presented with choices about who gets to use their individual data for politics. And they have to treat device networks as common carriers for the public good. The devices that are being connected to the IoT aren’t smart because they obey us as consumers and citizens. They are smart in that they obey the device manufacturers. Policymakers need to realize that for the IoT to work well, and in support of our civic and political values, we all need to be able to see what’s under the hood.

[Philip N. Howard is a professor of communication, information and international affairs at the University of Washington.]