Treading Beyond the Iota of Fear: eDiscovery of the Internet of Things

The first difficulty to preservation concerns the primary question of control of the cloud data, which is not unique to IoT. Businesses are investing billions into IoT not only because of their profit expectations from the one-time sale of an IoT device, but also from having unfettered access to the valuable data produced by the devices. Google did not purchase Nest for $3.2 billion only because it is cool to control thermostats from a phone. Google already knows a lot about its users from scanning Gmail accounts to present users with pertinent ads, and now it will know when individuals are statistically likely to leave their house.

Similarly, the technology giant probably did not buy Boston Dynamics because its robotic cheetahs are fun. While the company has been mum about its intentions, by connecting multiple communicating devices into a single automated ecosystem, one can create not only a very accurate data map about a person’s past and present activity, but also dispense a sensory device—robotic or otherwise—to cater to the person’s anticipatory needs. But will you have control over your personal data map?

Originally published in Bloomberg BNA; reprinted with permission.