Open APIs for the Rest of Us

The creation of open APIs is one of the core concepts advocated by the Web of Things community. However, drastically open APIs to the basic functional components of physical devices are only found in research projects and seem to not yet find favor with a wider audience. With this paper, I would like to initiate a discussion about the value of open APIs for the producers and users of smart devices, and for society as a whole: How can manufacturers be motivated to outfit their products with open APIs? How can consumers be educated about the benefits of not being locked into manufacturer ecosystems? And might the decision of opening up a device API even be subject to antitrust law?