February 2016

A Pew Research Center survey in December 2015 found that 56% of Americans were more concerned that the government’s anti-terror policies have not gone far enough to protect the country, compared with 28% who expressed concern that the policies have gone too far in restricting the average person’s civil liberties. Just two years earlier, amid the furor over Edward Snowden’s revelations about National Security Agency surveillance programs, more said their bigger concern was that anti-terror programs had gone too far in restricting civil liberties (47%) rather than not far enough in protecting the country (35%).

At the same time, there are other findings suggesting that Americans are becoming more anxious about their privacy, especially in the context of digital technologies that capture a wide array of data about them. Here is an overview of the state of play as the iPhone case moves further into legal proceedings.

In a few years, patients with chronic breathing problems will puff on an Internet-connected inhaler that instantly sends data about how often the device is used to the medicine provider and doctors who monitor care. This is just one example of the potential benefits of bringing connectivity to medical devices. It is not lost on pharmaceutical and technology companies, which are working to get more medical Internet-of-Things devices to market. So far, however, the connected medical market has been slow to develop, with a raft of questions holding back adoption. They include concerns about regulation, security, privacy, liability and reimbursement.