A recent study conducted by Cynerio, a healthcare IoT security platform, found that over half of medical devices found in hospital settings contain critical vulnerabilities.

Attorneys Chris Miller and Lindsay Miller presented "Small Cell Wireless: How Did We Get Here and What Does It Mean for Ohio Communities?" at the 2019 Ohio Municipal League Annual Conference on October 25, 2019.

Indiana IoT Lab’s 2019 Inaugural State of IoT Report contains unique industry perspective on the business climate for connected technologies in central Indiana from a wide range of companies involved in the Internet of Things. Ice Miller is proud to have contributed to this effort as the only law firm involved. The full report focuses on how the Internet of Things is affecting Indiana’s core economic pillars of manufacturing, agriculture and logistics.

Reena Bajowala, a partner in Ice Miller’s Litigation and Data Security and Privacy Groups, moderated “Blockchain Can Help Lawyers – Inside and Out” at the American Bar Association Corporate Counsel CLE Seminar on Feb. 15.

Ice Miller partner Reena Bajowala won the Public Interest Law Initiative (PILI) Fellow Alumni Award on Dec. 5. The PILI Fellow Alumni Award recognizes one former PILI Fellow for outstanding contributions to public interest or pro bono work.

California legislation introduced in March 2017 has been signed into law by the Governor. Senate Bill 327, “Information privacy: connected devices”, will make California the first U.S. state to regulate Internet of Things devices, even ahead of the federal government. 

On August 16, 2018, the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeal issued Naperville Smart Meter Awareness v. City of Naperville, No. 16-3766 (slip op.), finding the City of Naperville’s mandatory “smart meter” program was not an unreasonable search under the Fourth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. The City of Naperville owns and operates the public utility that provides electricity to the city’s residents. The utility collects and retains residents’ energy-consumption data at 15-minute intervals for up to three years. Traditional analog energy meters typically collect monthly energy consumption in a single lump figure once a month. Notably, a resident cannot opt-out of Naperville’s smart meter program. The Court analyzed whether the data collection constituted a “search.”

On June 5, 2018, the Federal Communications Commission released an Enforcement Advisory confirming that audio/ video transmitter accessories used with drones must also comply with the Commission’s Equipment Authorization rules before being marketed to U.S. customers. According to the Advisory, the FCC “has observed a growing number of websites that advertise and sell noncompliant radio accessories, specifically audio/video transmitters (AV transmitters), intended for use with drones. Noncompliant AV transmitters are illegal, and they have the potential to interfere with public safety, aviation, and other operations by Federal agencies.”

The Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) on January 12, 2017 issued a green paper Fostering the Advancement of the Internet of Things to identify elements of an approach and areas of engagement for the Department to pursue as it seeks broad input in its future work on the Internet of Things (“IoT”). The paper asserts that the federal government needs to develop a long term strategy, a collaborative approach with the private sector and a global perspective to permit IoT technology to reach its full potential to create new industries and new consumer goods. It rejects the idea that standards for privacy and security can be left to market forces.