Consumers Deserve a Piece of the Action That Their Data Generates

Mike Nelson, the VP of IoT Security at DigiCert, asks, what is the end result of the accessibility of so much consumer data gathered from all of the devices collecting information about our daily habits? Companies reap vast rewards from customer data, but shouldn’t consumers share in the assets gleaned from their data and have more control over its use, especially in view of the fact that they are at risk of corrupt and manipulative practices that can wreak havoc in their lives? He concludes that there is a need for some mechanism that enables consumers to share in the monetization of their information. There is certainly a need for a collaborative organization that protects consumers, working as advocates for data handling and privacy and giving consumers greater control over their data. This might include independent regulatory agencies that implement and enforce standards, and security and privacy domain experts that work together on the consumer’s behalf.