California Bill Mandates Privacy By Design For IoT Devices

The bill, introduced in the state Senate earlier this month, would require Web-connected device manufacturers to equip devices with reasonable security features and obtain consent to use consumer information.

Manufacturers of Internet-connected devices (better known as the Internet of Things) should be following a new California bill closely because it would create a mandate under California law that all IoT devices have built-in security features appropriate to the device and information collected. California Senate Bill 327, amended in March, is the latest in a trend of legislative and regulatory efforts by state and federal authorities to hold IoT device makers more accountable for consumer data security. The California bill was introduced at nearly the same time the FTC brought an enforcement complaint in federal court in California against a computer networking equipment manufacturer for failing to take reasonable steps to secure its products from hackers.