December 12, 2008
Posted By RFIDblogger |
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On December 2, 2008, ITAA issued a press release (see below) on regulation and the "Internet of Things". We can not overstress the importance of this EU activity on the future growth and opportunity in the RFID sector. EU regulatory decisions will impact US policy and vice-versa. Companies with an interest pay attention to and try to help influence the EU's regulation of their industry.
December 2, 2008
Contact: Charlie Greenwald at 703-284-5305, cgreenwald@itaa.org
ITAA Cautions Against Over-Regulation of the ‘Internet of Things’
Joint Letter to European Commission Explains Concerns of ITAA and Other Associations
Arlington, VA – Joining forces with a diverse group of global business councils and trade associations representing retail, healthcare, manufacturing, food and grocery sectors, the Information Technology Association of America (ITAA) has expressed concerns about a European Commission staff working document prepared for a planned “Communication on the Internet of Things” in the second quarter of 2009.
The associations commented that the premise of the “Internet of Things” assumes an unlikely deployment scenario for Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology. While they agreed with the concept that, in the future, most if not all items may well be “tagged” in some fashion and thus readable, they said it was less likely that as many will be directly linked to the Internet as the Commission document appears to assume.
Signed by ITAA President and CEO Phil Bond and other association leaders, the joint letter expresses appreciation for the “open and inclusive process” of developing European Commission policy but noted, “While we understand and appreciate the rationale for thinking of the Internet of Things, we remain concerned that it creates a false dichotomy rather than prompting us to consider a continuum of Internet connectivity.”
The Commission document also fails to appropriately highlight the intersection of people, policies, practices and technology in addressing these issues. It is looking ahead to the time when many consumer and commercial products will be embedded with RFID or other devices that permit them to be read by sensors or in some cases communicate with computer systems or the Internet. These may range from a commercial soda vending machine to a refrigerator connected to a home’s local area network.
ITAA and other business groups are worried that the commission’s understandable concern for security and privacy may lead to premature and overly burdensome regulation of these and other technology advancements, if the Commission proceeds under such unlikely assumptions and incomplete picture of privacy and security. Such regulations could increase costs, discourage applications and delay the potential benefits to consumers, businesses, governments and national economies.
Bond and others signing the joint letter closed by saying, “We commit to continuing to work together to create an environment where innovation will continue to develop beneficial uses of technology and individuals will have trust and confidence to use such technology. We look forward to our continued dialogue to further refine recommendations so that individuals’ rights are protected while encouraging innovation and the societal benefits we stand to reap with new technology.”
Joining ITAA in the input to the European Commission’s Information Society and Media Directorate General were the European-American Business Council, Food Marketing Association, Grocery Manufacturers Association, U.S. Council for International Business, Association for Automatic Identification and Mobility (AIM Global), Retail Industry Leaders Association, Healthcare Distribution Management Association, National Retail Federation and National Association of Manufacturers.
A complete copy of the associations’ response is available at the following link: http://www.itaa.org/upload/RFID/Internet_of_Things.pdf
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About ITAA
The Information Technology Association of America (ITAA) is the premier IT and electronics industry association working to maintain America’s role as the world’s innovation headquarters. Following its April 1, 2008 merger with the Government Electronics and Information Technology Association (GEIA), ITAA provides leadership in market research, standards development, business development, networking and public policy advocacy to some 350 corporate members doing business in the public and commercial sector markets. These members range from the smallest start-ups to industry leaders offering Internet, software, services and hardware solutions. ITAA offers the industry’s only grassroots-to-global network, carrying the voice of IT to companies, markets and governments at the local, state, national and international levels to facilitate growth and advocacy. The Association maintains a formal alliance with more than 40 regional groups in the U.S. and Canada, representing 16,000 technology-related companies through the Technology Councils of North America. ITAA is also the U.S. member of the World Information Technology and Services Alliance, a network of nearly 70 industry associations from around the world. For more information, visit www.itaa.org
