Internet of Things: La la land or ­reality check? The future of ­tech top issue at ABA meeting

Ann Marie Buerkle, acting chairman, U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, will be a keynote speaker at the American Bar Association Section of Science & Technology Law’s Second Internet of Things (IoT) National Institute at noon May 11 at the law offices of Jones Day in Washington, D.C.

This conference will also include two other keynote presentations featuring Rajesh De, partner, Mayer Brown LLP and former general counsel at the U.S. National Security Agency, at 8:30 a.m. on Wednesday, May 10, and Chris Tonjes, chief information officer for the District of Columbia, at noon on May 10.

The IoT National Institute brings together top lawyers in technology, judges, government leaders, think tank and university leaders, and experts from companies such as IBM, Microsoft, Amazon, and AT&T to explore the legal and liability concerns and challenges surrounding the rise in the connectivity of “smart” objects including cars, homes and offices, wearable devices, drones, medical devices, business products, mobile phones and tablets, among other devices.

Experts will discuss the latest trends raised by IoT in product liability, regulatory, big data, privacy, data security, mass tort, cloud and intellectual property.

Program highlights include:

“A Crash Course on the Power and Risks of IoT Technology” — With the threat and reality of IoT devices endangering homes and businesses, including strangers being able to take control of devices remotely and possibly access bank accounts and other private information, this panel will explore some of the latest IoT technology and discuss the emerging legal issues that surround them.

 “The Top IoT Security Challenges and What to Do About Them — What’s the weakest link in a organization’s IT environment? Where is security in the IoT ecosystem? How can people limit the risks associated with software?  This panel will answer these questions and address potential vulnerabilities at home and in the office when devices are installed in a network. They will also discuss how to mitigate the risks.