The escalating legal risks of 'smart' devices among topics at ABA ­Internet of Things National Institute

Edith Ramirez, chairwoman of the Federal Trade Commission, will be a keynote speaker at the American Bar Association, Internet of Things (IoT) National Institute, March 31 at the law offices of Jones Day in Washington, D.C. at 12:30 p.m.

This conference will also include two other keynote presentations featuring Ed Felten, deputy U.S. chief technology officer, White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, on March 30 at 8:45 a.m., and Jim Hood, attorney general of Mississippi and immediate past president of the National Association of Attorneys General, on March 30 at noon.

The inaugural IoT National Institute is where lawyers, government leaders and experts from companies such as AT&T, Ericsson, Hitachi, Microsoft and Google’s Nest Lab come together to explore the legal concerns and challenges surrounding the rise in the usage of “smart” devices, resulting in e-discovery issues, product liability and mass tort litigation, privacy and security breach lawsuits, medical device hacking risks, consumer protection issues and IT/software disputes. For two days, attendees will learn about the legal ramifications of doing business in a connected world.
Ramirez will focus her presentation on the FTC’s work on IoT issues. Last year, the FTC released the report, “IoT: Privacy and Security in a Connected World.” In the report, the FTC urged companies to adopt best practices to address consumer privacy and security risks.

Program highlights include:

“Industry Initiatives: Game Changers in the Private Sector”— This panel will explore the transformative nature of how individuals and businesses connect, communicate and interact. Industry initiatives that could impact the way homes, health care, driverless vehicles, factories and cities function will be explored.

 “The World of IoT Policy, Laws and Regulations, U.S. and International” — Who has jurisdiction over IoT issues? Who are the regulators? This panel will answer these questions and address important issues pertaining to data and cybersecurity frameworks related to public safety communications, security, privacy amongst other issues.