Building Accountability into the Internet of Things

The Internet of Things (IoT) will embed computing in millions of mundane objects distributed throughout everyday life.

This array of Internet-enabled things will generate even greater amounts of personal data, which is a matter of widespread concern. On the one hand it concerns industry and government, as personal data is seen as the new currency that oils the wheels of the digital economy. On the other, it concerns citizens as it is their data and data about them that is being exploited, and in largely unaccountable and uncontrollable ways. This fellowship seeks to address both of these concerns. It exploits ethnographic studies to understand human data interaction practices, and the interactional work that is involved in leveraging sensor-based data to deliver innovative digital services. And it exploits these studies to inform the development of a technological platform called the IoT-Databox that enables accountable, user controlled, personal data processing by industry and government alike. IoT-Databox is open source. Code and a trial SDK enabling the rapid construction of accountable IoT apps is available here. For further information and publications see the project website.