Talk:Cloud computing, services and the Internet of Things

This is the discussion site for the session Cloud computing, services and the Internet of Things

Please give your feedback by this Friday May 2, 2014 on the following in particular:

- A title for the session (e.g. “Cloud, IoT and Big Data: delivering on the promise while safeguarding fundamentals”, etc.)

- Whether you would like to volunteer as one of the ‘key participants’ (speakers) for this session

- Feedback on key questions / synopsis for the session; - Proposal combining all suggestions so far:

• The advent of cloud computing and big data, spurred by the growth and increasing pervasiveness of the Internet in our societies and economies, holds many promises. We are at the start of a ‘smart world’, where our homes, our cities, our energy, can become smarter thanks to better data monitoring and collection; with the potential to drastically improve our consumption and management of energy and the environment. The same online developments have also seen the rise of crowdfunding, and generally of more citizen and public empowerment.
• But with these developments – especially the increased use of (personal) data - come challenges, notably for privacy and security. As the technology develops, it is still poorly understood and often not (yet) trusted by many, which could deter or delay its potential.
• As policymakers look to the new questions raised by these developments, it is important that we have a debate including all stakeholders, to ensure that the technology delivers all its promises – from empowered citizenry to better energy utilization and economic growth – while making sure all the necessary safeguards are in place, notably when it comes to privacy and security.