The Future of the Internet of Things Highlighted at South by Southwest Interactive

March 16, 2015

At the ongoing South by Southwest (SXSW) Interactive, as expected, one of the biggest buzz is about the emerging world of Internet of Things (IoT) for Consumers.

 In a number of conference sessions I attended during the first two days at the event, leaders from the technology space shared both their enthusiasm as well as concerns about the impact of IoT on our long term future.

Connected smart devices that automatically share information with each other and collect data about the users' activities are set to become ubiquitous.

While it is anticipated that these new technologies will make our lives more interesting and much easier in some ways, there also is a lot of debate on the possible negative repercussions of IoT.

A lot of questions remain unanswered, but it was good to see these concerns being brought up and discussed openly by the very people who design, create and market these new age technology solutions.

Though one heard a lot of differing views, on the whole, a broad consensus was apparent on the following three points:

-          Consumers' concerns about privacy need to be addressed proactively by policy makers and technology companies.

-          Brands need to be open about when and what data they are recording, storing and sharing.

-          Brands are accountable for both the security of users’ data as well as for using the information responsibly.

No doubt the debate will continue to rage for the next few years, but technological evolution is hurtling forward at an exponentially growing speed, and it is up to both producers and consumers to work together and ensure that it delivers on the tremendous promise it holds out for the society.

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