This week the automotive manufacturer has recalled nearly 500,000 VW and
As I've stated during IOT conference keynotes before, the focus on the Internet of Things is not the thing itself, but the data generated by the devices and the value within it. What Volkswagen has brought to light is that we are far from being able to trust the validity of the data being generated in the first place. This goes well beyond whether the IOT industry can secure the data, agree standards, or indeed guarantee that consumer privacy rights are upheld. It's well known now that in 2014 Context Security released details about how it was able to hack into the wi-fi network of one brand of network-enabled smart bulb, and control the lights remotely. “We bought some light bulbs and examined how they talked to each other and saw that one of the messages was about the username and password,” said Michael Jordon, Research Director at Context. “By posing as a new bulb joining the network we were able to get that information,” he added.
This is almost meaningless now if the data can be manipulated at source, or before the data has been analysed at a large scale. This has links to IOT because as car manufacturers (or any industry) produce more and more devices that will connect to the network and with each other, who governs whether the data generated is even valid in the first place ?
And therefore, you could also surmise that any erroneous data produced, whether intentionally or not, will be compounded as it is passed on and processed elsewhere multiple times.
Hacking is almost a secondary threat to data manipulation which can occur first.
But all this points to arguments I made in a previous article on Forbes about how the future of the Internet of Things and how OpenData is a key element to its success, and ultimately, trust. I believe that the Open Data movement combined with the security of Blockchain may be vital to the longer term success and vision for the Internet of Things.
“Open data is the idea that certain data should be freely available to everyone to use and republish as they wish, without restrictions from copyright, patents, or other mechanisms of control.”
Analysis by The Guardian stated that those US vehicles involved in the VW scandal would have spewed between 10,392 and 41,571 tonnes of toxic gas into the air each year, if they had covered the average annual US mileage. If they had complied with EPA standards, they would have emitted just 1,039 tonnes of NOx each year in total.
Would the information been exposed far sooner if Volkswagen had made the data available for all to examine through open data initiatives ? Would public and government body trust be absolute in manufacturers if they could prove that they have no control over the data generated at source ?
The ramifications and ripples of the VW exposure will be far reaching, not only in the automotive industry but for every industry that relies on data generated from sensors and devices. In a way, Volkswagen's actions have brought to light areas in the Internet of Things analysts and experts have taken for granted and ignored over hype. And as for consumer trust in the industry itself and the future potential of IOT, this too could be shaken by recent events. As one VW customer stated in a recent interview with The Guardian; “Lowering my carbon footprint was major for me and was a selling point, so I’m really upset,” she said, “I’m disgusted that I have to drive my polluting vehicle two hours on the freeway to get there.”
This puts massive pressure on the many standards bodies, like the Open Internet Consortium and AllSeen Alliance, who are fighting to provide unity among platform vendors and OEMs.
Because standards without trust and a way to prove the validity of the data is ultimately meaningless.
