In a recent report, the Federal Trade Commission noted that the IoT can provide enormous benefits for consumers yet at the same time, in its education, policy, and enforcement work, the FTC stressed the importance of taking reasonable steps to safeguard privacy and security when it comes to such devices. Kathleen Benway, Chief of Staff – Bureau of Consumer Protection at the Federal Trade Commission will be taking your questions on consumer protection at the IoT Tech Expo North America on November 30 in Santa Clara, CA. Keep reading to see how you can get involved..

The Federal Trade Commission is a law enforcement agency which looks into the privacy and security promises made by companies in order to ensure that these are kept. IoT devices are the accumulators of a robust amount of data, and the protection of this data is paramount. So how can you be sure that this is being protected?

The Q&A session will allow you to ask just that, in addition to dealing with the importance of building security into any device during the development stage, rather than retrospectively. Kathleen, who will be answering your questions, works closely with the Bureau of Consumer Protection (BCP) Director and Deputy Directors on case recommendations, project development and Bureau policy. She represents the Bureau in interactions with Commissioners’ Offices and co-ordinates with the Office of Congressional Relations to respond to Congressional inquiries, correspondence and requests for testimony.

To have your consumer protection questions answered, you can tweet your question with the hashtag #iottechexpo, or email info@iottechexpo.com with the subject: Consumer Protection Q&A.

Guided by Gerard van der Hoeven, Founding Partners at IoT Gurus, your questions will be answered during the Q&A session on the open conference track; Developing for the IoT on November 30 at 2:30pm. Simply register for a Free Expo Pass to gain access to the open conference tracks and more.