Brussels aims to regulate “internet of things”

European officials are to probe the benefits and possible privacy threats posed by the “internet of things” (IoT).

The emergence of smarthomes, chips deigned specifically for working in sensors, and a move towards smart metering mean the line between the online and offline worlds are blurring.

The concept brings opportunities – such as controling home security or heating, as well as feeding car data into traffic systems – but European officials warn that any deployment must build in privacy protection.

“The internet of things holds the promise of significant progress in addressing global and societal challenges,” the EU said in documents released to coincide with a public consultation on the subject.

Realising the enormous economic and societal potential of the IoT requires a level playing field where all players can compete on an equal footing, without gate keepers and locked-in users

“But it is likely to have a profound impact on society, in areas like privacy, security, ethics, and liability. The policy challenge is to assess the right trade-off between the potential economic and societal benefits and the control that we want to retain over an environment where machines will gather, exchange, process and store information automatically.

“The effects on our private and public space require that people and their governments debate the appropriate governance and management.”

The consultation stems from concerns over the potential for tracking users through smartphones or RFID tags and Brussels is asking for input from public and industry before 12 July.

While privacy is one concern, European officials are also looking at how they can control the market without dominant players setting an agenda that suits them rather than consumers.

“Realising the enormous economic and societal potential of the IoT requires a level playing field where all players can compete on an equal footing, without gate keepers and locked-in users,” the consultation document said.