Heavy data protection regulation looms in Labour plans for post-Brexit flows and IoT devices

A minister has said that future Internet of Things and data regulation will take into account "decisions that we need to be aware we are making" when handing personal data over to tech companies. Junior tech policy minister Matt Warman told a Westminster Hall debate of MPs last week that the IoT "represents a whole new chapter …

[Pascal Monett]

"compared the rise of the IoT to the Industrial Revolution"

At first I was going to reply with scorn, but now that I think of it, he may actually have hit the nail on the head.

The Industrial Revolution, by completely ignoring human rights and placing profit before everything else, engendered syndicates, protest marches and the very concept of strikes until corporate magnates got a (feeble) grasp that employees have rights.

The IoT, as of now, runs roughshod over things like security and privacy, not to mention simple things like reliability. This is already starting to get a backlash, so maybe we can envision a future where IoT will actually be comprised of secure, easy-to-use elements that bring an actual improvement to our lives instead of just wirelessly adding a toothbrush to our IPv6 environment.

Who knows, maybe IoT has a bright future after all ?

[big_D]

Re: "compared the rise of the IoT to the Industrial Revolution"

Call me an IT professional Luddite.

I've worked long enough in IT to spurn IoT in its current form.

Maybe I should change my name to Butler and start a Jihad against the machines. /Frank Herbert.

[BebopWeBop]

Re: "compared the rise of the IoT to the Industrial Revolution"

I don't think that 'uman eight had any place in victorian society. So a similarity right there....

[Mephistro]

There is an issue with IT...

... and it's that 99% of the general population and 99.99% of politicians haven't got a clue regarding IT.

There is also the traditional "light touch" regulatory approach to IT , and I wrote "traditional" because this has been going on for more than seventy years. I reckon that treating a widely used technology that is pivotal in modern life, and has the potential to cause a worldwide societal collapse, as "experimental, buy at your own risk, very limited guarantee" is f*cking suicidal!.

Let's start by adding regulations for IT products regarding security. Yeah, there would be costs involved, but the costs of not adding said regulations will be astronomical.

[big_D]

Re: There is an issue with IT...

That is the problem, we've spent so long looking for the cheapest possible deal, that many have lost sight of what really matters and that quality has its price. The only expensive things these days are brand labels, the quality often isn't any better than the non-branded products and is often made in the same factories, but because of the name, people are willing to pay 3 - 4 times as much.

But actually give them a quality product at a quality price, but doesn't have some hip brand stuck on it and people will baulk and not pay. We don't buy things that we expect to last 20 or 30 years any more, because next year the colour will be unfashionable, so we buy the "next" model, with the "next" colour, even though it isn't really any different to what we already have.

We need to take a step back and actually look at what we are doing and make informed decisions... But it won't happen. Because people have short Ooooh, shiny!

[Tom 35]

Re: There is an issue with IT...

People who have been selling TVs and toasters are now selling smart TVs and toasters. They still release a new model every 6 months and abandon the old model as soon as the new one is released.

Security update? Buy a new one.

[Anonymous Coward]

Whatever the future of IoT and/or data regulation

cynical view: whatever whoever from the government or any other party has to say about ANYTHING now, from IoT to the future of kerb construction has got NOTHING to do with reality and it's got a SOLE purpose of gaining election votes. Therefore, there's no point discussing any visions, proposals, plans, they're all pulled out of politicians' smelly arses and are nothing but shit.

[big_D]

Re: Whatever the future of IoT and/or data regulation

It is also a statement to the companies that if they get in power, those anonymous brown envelopes better be a fatter than last year.

[Chris G]

Re: Whatever the future of IoT and/or data regulation

It seems (a little late to the party) that for politicians, IoT and 5G have just become the next big thing.

Even Boris' speech to thr UN was largely a about concerns over society, privacy and their relationships with new tech.

I hate to admit it but his speech was actually quite vood and well informed.

It seems as though all the politicians have suddenly woken up and realised the IoT is a thing that can impact their careers and election chances, still don't trust a single one of them to actually produce anything of genuine value to the nation though.

Anyone know what Rees- Mogg's Nanny thinks of the Internet of Things?

[IGotOut]

Rolls eyes

"He wasn't sure if his political party "has an established view on transhumanism"...

...but they should have their own toilets .