Political Party D66 Proposes Stricter European Internet of Things Regulation

Regulatory bodies are taking a close look at Internet of Things devices. In fact, political party D66 has proposed a new guideline to ban sales of all IoT devices posing a security risk. This is a rather disturbing proposal, but it also highlights the critical flaws associated with Internet of Things hardware. The political party also wants legal repercussions for companies selling these devices.

Europe Wants Stricter IoT Guidelines

It is evident that there is a growing need for clear guidelines when it comes to Internet of Things hardware and software. The recent Mirai botnet attacks have proven that far too many of these devices are subject to security flaws. So far, there is no repercussion for companies found guilty of not optimizing device security. If it is up to political party D66, however, that situation will come to change.

To be more precise, the party wants to introduce stricter IoT guidelines for the Enter European Union. If a manufacturer is found guilty of not implementing proper security standards, there should be legal repercussions. Moreover, sales of vulnerable devices should be halted immediately.

It is certainly true that the Internet of Things presents as many security risks as it creates new opportunities. Just because a device can be connected to the Internet, does not mean that it is secure by any means. Even most modern smartphones still pose a security risk, either through flawed software or hardware that can cause a hazard.

Creating new guidelines on a European level will be quite a challenge, though. This would require countries seeing eye-to-eye on the Internet of Things, to begin with, which is far from the case right now. Moreover, technological knowledge has always been a weak point for politicians, and this concept will be no exception.

Ensuring that device manufacturers will be responsible for their own shortcomings is a topic that will be greeted with a lot of opposition. One could argue  that these companies need to be aware of their responsibilities, as their actions (or lack thereof) can have global consequences. However, this is about more than using top-notch hardware, as the software side of things is often the biggest problem.

But there is more, as D66 has unveiled plans to establish a “threat analysis team”. The objective of this team is simple: sniff out any IoT-related threats. Both manufacturers and industry experts will make up the members of this team. Additionally, the political party wants this new security body to become part of the National Cyber Security Center, which is quite an ambitious plan, to say the least.

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