TUV Rheinland, a testing service provider, is continuing its digitisation offensive with the founding of its ‘Competence Center IoT Privacy’. With the Competence Center, TUV Rheinland is offering a complete solution for all things relating to data protection in the Internet of Things (IoT) and is positioning itself on the rapidly growing global IoT market dealing with the topic of protected privacy. The centre located in Cologne has a portfolio that includes a diverse range of privacy solutions for the networked home, which are offered globally. The focus here is on protected privacy certificates and consultation and training programs for product manufacturers and system suppliers.
Safeguarding data protection and privacy
The growing digital networking of devices and applications in the home means that smart home solutions are storing and processing increasing amounts of highly sensitive personal data. The EU General Data Protection Regulation (EU GDPR) fulfils consumers’ demands for transparency about how their data is used. This regulation came into effect on May 25, 2016, and it defines, among other things, new legal requirements, such as considering data protection in product development (Privacy by Design). After the expiry of a two-year transition period, it will apply in EU countries from May 25, 2018, and, from this effective date, it will impose new requirements on, among others, smart home system manufacturers and installers offering products or services in EU countries. This includes, for example, the ‘right to be forgotten’.