Balancing Innovation With Privacy Concerns: The FTC Provides Comment On The Internet Of Things

On June 3, 2016, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) responded to a Request for Comments issued by the Department of Commerce, National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) regarding the Internet of Things (IoT). The NTIA, which issued its Request for Comments on April 5, 2016, stated that it will use commentary to expand on its "broader agenda promoting economic growth and opportunity to help develop an approach that will foster IoT innovation."

The FTC has consistently taken an active role in setting forth a framework for protection of consumer privacy and bringing enforcement actions against companies that it alleges have failed to protect consumer privacy rights. In January 2016, the FTC announced that it had brought nearly 60 enforcement actions related to consumer data privacy and security since 2002. During that time, the FTC also issued preliminary comments, followed by its final report on best practices for businesses to protect consumer