Data and Privacy: Getting Consumers to Trust Products Enabled by the Internet of Things

If stolen, personal information collected from consumers by smart consumer devices connected to the Internet of Things (IoT) can cause enormous harm. That's why the success and wide adoption of IoT devices will rely heavily on gaining the trust of consumers. In this article, we offer a definition of consumer trust as it relates to IoT technology, and we propose a consumer trust model to reflect the factors that will encourage consumers to purchase and use IoT products. We also highlight the security requirements that should be considered while developing IoT products and applications to gain consumer trust. Finally, we present four Ws of privacy (what, where, when, and who) that are important for earning high levels of consumer satisfaction for IoT products and applications.