On 12 April 2012, the European Commisison launched a public consultation on rules for wirelessly connected devices – Internet of Things (IoT). The consultation will close on the 12th of July.
Through this consultation, the objective of the European Commission is to know “what framework is needed to unleash the potential economic and societal benefits of the IoT, whilst ensuring an adequate level of control of the devices gathering, processing and storing information”.
This public consultation will lead to a new Recommendation on the IoT. This Recommendation will be the follow-up to the Commission's Communication on IoT published in 2009 which identified “14 lines of action for enabling Europe to design IoT technologies and systems compatible with its core values, such as the protection of privacy and personal data“.
About the Internet of Things
The Internet of today offers access to content and information through connection to web pages from multiple terminals like PCs, smart phones or TVs. The next evolution is making it possible to access information related to the physical environment through connected objects capable of sensing the environment and communicating through smart chips using for instance Radio Frequency IDentification (RFID) with or without human intervention.
The "Internet of Things" (IoT) is a future in which everyday objects such as phones, cars, household appliances, clothes and even food are wirelessly connected to the Internet through smart chips, and can collect and share data.
“In this world, the most important network is the global supply chain, which feeds us, brings us fresh water, delivers us, medicine and tools (including computers), supplies us with heat and light and power, clothes us gives us the materials for building our homes and places of work. By analogy with the human body, the Internet is the brain, the global supply chain is the world’s heart.
The Internet is a network of bits. The supply chain is a network of atoms. The Internet of Things aims at connecting these 2 networks and become smarter.”
Kevin Ashton, Father of the Internet of Things – Visionary session presented at the 2nd European Summit on the Future Internet (6th June 2011)
To know more
- Internet of Things Europe - The movie: Imagine everything was linked
- Press release
- The consultation document
- 2009 Communication on Internet of Things
- Videos on Internet of Things:
- Radio Frequency IDentification (RFID) and the Internet of Things:
- Digital Agenda website
- Neelie Kroes' website
- Follow Neelie Kroes on Twitter