A Glimpse Into A Tangled Future: Implications Of An Increasingly Connected World

Looking forward to living in a house that reduces your workload by mowing your lawn? What about having your front door beam you photographs of everyone your adolescent children let into your home while you are at work? Or, even better, a door that will only open for certain people at specific times during the week? As the Internet of Things (IoT) continues to expand into every nook of daily life, these "advances" are not only the way of the future – they are the way of the present.

In response to this proliferation of the IoT and IoT devices, the United States Government Accountability Office recently released a technology assessment of the IoT (the "Report") respecting the status and implications of an increasingly connected world. The Report highlighted the benefits of the IoT's rapid emergence. However, it also made sure to stress the challenges presented by a future where our refrigerators can provide a summary of our late night snacking habits to our insurance