“The State of Responsible IoT 2019” report out now!

“The State of the Responsible IoT 2019” report is also available in a limited first print edition. If you want a printed to copy, please email us on riot@thingscon.org (for more info on a second print edition, see below). Find all prior years’ issues here.

The State of the Responsible IoT – Small Escapes from Surveillance Capitalism

2019 is the year where the term “Surveillance Capitalism” really took root. In its essence, it describes the current economic model of technology companies that make revenue by surveilling our online lives, gathering data that is processed and transformed to result in targeted advertising packages. The better the data, the more likely it is that we do what is expected of us: buy what we are shown. Surveillance Capitalism is therefore not only an economic model, it is a form of control over our behaviour. The Internet of Things plays a crucial role, as it enables to not only track our behaviour in realm of browsers and apps, but in the physical world through tangible connected devices that we invite into our lives.

With ThingsCon we have devoted ourselves to working towards a “responsible IoT”. But what does that look like in the light of Surveillance Capitalism? With this years “responsible IoT Report – RioT for short – we wanted to find out.

We have asked friends and collaborators, new and old, to reflect on this, and showcase how we can resist Surveillance Capitalism today. In the report we present a wide variety of contributions: from reflections Trustable Technology for cities, on the power and responsibility of Design to escape surveillance, to descriptions of projects that point the way and help us find out: in which direction is the responsible IoT?

Get the report

“The State of the Responsible IoT 2019” report is available online and in a limited print edition. You can download it here. We will print a second edition in early 2020. If you want a printed version send us an email until January 31, 2020 with the amount you would like to order. Cost will be approx. 12 € plus shipping. The primary release is on thingscon.org and a secondary, later release on medium.com

Articles and authors include:

Editorial by Andrea Krajewski and Max Krüger

Whose Interest Should Technology Serve? by Kasia Odrozek

Ushahidi: Responsibility for Human Rights by Eriol Fox

Balancing Urban Innovation with a Responsible Approach to the Internet of Things: The Case of Limerick by Helena Fitzgerald, Gerard Walsh, Gabriela Avram, Stephen Kinsella, Javier Buron Garcia

YOU by Elina Faber, Sarah Lerch, Jan Meininghaus, Domenika Tomasovic

Zuversicht – Challenging the Narrative by Philipp Kaltofen, Julia Metzmaier, Anne Schneider

Design Me a Pause Button, Graceful and Dignified by Irina Shklovski

Sex and Magic in Service of Surveillance Capitalism by Namrata Primlani

The Alienating Consequences of Things That Predict by Iskander Smit

Surveillance (Alternatives), by Design by Heather Wiltse

Trusted Technology, from your Living Room to your City by Peter Bihr

Civil Hack Back: Hack, Tweak, Delete Your Digital CV! by Timo Jakobi