Visitors at Utility Week Live Expressed Confusion and Concerns over IoT, plus its relationship to GDPR

We are pleased to state that the quantity and quality of leads improved over 2017. However, it was clear that ignorance is still rife over Internet of Things [IoT] and what is the difference between IoT, M2M and Telemetry.

One of the common subjects that reoccurred when speaking to many of the visitors was over the security of data and the risks that IoT poses to compliance to GDPR. We certainly can share their sentiments with the number of devices on the market that can listen in to conversations and monitor you wellbeing growing by the day.

We were pleased to be able to assure our visitors that the RDN Telemetry/IoT platform is fully exempt from the scope of GDPR as the data traffic from our sensors is completely 100% anonymous relating to just a sensor, actuator, position reading itself and do not carry any personal or private data.

Further, questions were asked about licence free IoT services such as Wi-Fi, LoRa and Sigfox as to the lack of legal protection against eavesdropping and blocking commonly referred to as jamming or in the cabled world DOS and DDOS.

Again, we were pleased to state that our services are protected in Law under the powers of the Wireless and Telegraphy Act 2000. Under the Act trying eavesdrop, let alone broadcasting or jamming is a criminal offence carrying both hefty fines and even custodial sentences. This statement applies to both our UK based terrestrial and our Iridium Satellite service both of which operate on licenced protected radio spectrum. Further, outside the UK we have networks with our partners in Belgium and the Netherlands that too carry similar sanctions.

Overall there remains a consensus that IoT is it stands is OK for domestic however not suitable for Industrial or Utility applications and GDPR as just added another dimension into the “concern / compliance matrix”.