Megan Stifel

The paper argues that the current first-to-market approach to connected technologies -- including Internet of Things devices -- has undermined public trust in these technologies and the internet, jeopardizing both our economy and democracy. To combat this, the paper proposes the creation of a “Security Shield” label to inform purchasers that a product has followed recognized best cybersecurity practices and should be more secure than similar products without such a label.

Constant cyber hacks and distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks have unfortunately become the new normal in today’s internet-connected society. The unrelenting onslaught has significantly eroded consumer trust in the broad ecosystem of information and communications technologies (ICTs).