Neelie Kroes, Vice-President of the European Commission responsible for the Digital Agenda, addressed yesterday’s 2nd Annual Internet of Things Conference in Brussels, with a speech entitled “Bringing European values to the Internet of Things”.
“Our citizens may not always want to use the technology in all the ways that is possible. They will want to retain control over their lives and surroundings. This is why we should place a premium on a thorough and transparent debate. People should not feel that it sneaked up on them, forcing them to live with new and unexpected realities.
The sorts of questions we need to be asking are:
- What precautions do you want in place to make sure your medical information can be accessed electronically, but not by the wrong people?
- Would you accept your mobile phone being located and traced in exchange for, say, a weather map?
- Can your car be tagged to improve mobility and traffic safety?
These are not really technical questions. They are values questions. And we will need to use the answers to inform how the Internet of Things develops. We must ensure we have ways to integrate our values into the technical possibilities.”