FTC Warns Companies On “Internet Of Things”

The chair of the Federal Trade Commission, Edith Ramirez, in a speech at the 2015 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, warned companies about the security and privacy risks presented to consumers by the Internet of things. Companies will have a responsibility for mitigating those risks, she said, in such areas as product design and how data is collected and held. Reed Smith attorneys Frederick Lah and Sulina D. Gabale provide highlights and summary of the speech. They note the FTC has already been active in this area, including by way of a public workshop and comment period, and at least one enforcement action.