The head of the US Federal Trade Commission on Tuesday offered a prescription for protecting consumer data collected by internet-connected gadgets like wearable fitness trackers and “smart home” devices, previewing themes of a coming report by the agency on internet privacy and security.
“In the not-too-distant future, many, if not most, aspects of our everyday lives will be digitally observed and stored,” FTC chairwoman Edith Ramirez wrote in remarks for a speech on Tuesday afternoon at the International CES in Las Vegas. “That data trove will contain a wealth of revealing information that will present a deeply personal picture of each of us.”
“Any device that is connected to the Internet is at risk of being hijacked,” said Ramirez, who added that the large number of Internet-connected devices would “increase the number of access points” for hackers.
