Electronic copy available at: http://ssrn.

com/abstract=2234664







A roadmap for
|nterd|sc|p||nary research on the Internet of 1h|ngs:
Soc|a| sc|ences



!
!
!
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3 !anuary 2013

Lead auLhor: rofessor Wllllam uuLLon
Cxford lnLerneL lnsLlLuLe, unlverslLy of Cxford
WlLh: Llcla Capra, Marlna Claraldl, uavld l. Lvans, AnLhony lurness, lan Craham,
Marlna !lroLka, Agnes kupal, MarLln Magulre, nlgel MaLLhews, Mlranda
Mowbray, Malcolm ayne, Allson rendlvllle, Ld SLelnmueller and 8achel
1yrrell
ConLrlbuLors: ur Llcla Capra, uCL, Marlna Claraldl, Sheffleld, ur uavld l. Lvans, uerby,
rofessor AnLhony lurness, unlverslLy of Sheffleld, lan Craham, Ldlnburgh,
Marlna !lroLka, Cxford e-8esearch CenLre, unlverslLy of Cxford, Agnes kupal,
8ASl Medals 8ecycllng, MarLln Magulre, Loughborough unlverslLy, nlgel
MaLLhews, ll knowledge SoluLlons, Mlranda Mowbray, P Labs, Malcolm
ayne, 1rusLed 8enewables, Allson rendlvllle, C4u, unlverslLy of Lhe ArLs,
London, Ld SLelnmueller, unlverslLy of Sussex S8u, 8achel 1yrrell, rlnclpal
ollcy Manager & uepuLy 1eam Pead, PealLh & Puman 8ehavlour, LS8C
Electronic copy available at: http://ssrn.com/abstract=2234664
A roadmap for lnLerdlsclpllnary research on Lhe lnLerneL of 1hlngs: Soclal sclences
ll
Contents!
1! Introduct|on ................................................................................................................. 1!
1.1! 1he mulLldlsclpllnary naLure of Lhe lnLerneL of 1hlngs ............................................... 1!
1.2! keeplng deflnlLlonal lssues open ................................................................................ 2!
1.3! ulfferenLlaLlng Lhe lnLerneL of 1hlngs from Lhe lnLerneL ............................................ 2!
1.3.1! eople as ob[ecLs ............................................................................................ 3!
1.3.2! uaLa sharlng .................................................................................................... 3!
1.3.3! Scale maLLers .................................................................................................. 3!
1.4! ConLexLs and appllcaLlons are key .............................................................................. 3!
1.3! 1he cenLrallLy of Lhe soclal sclences ........................................................................... 4!
2! Lmp|r|ca| stud|es of the Io1 across mu|t|p|e contexts .................................................... 4!
2.1! 1owards a Lypology of soclal, legal and eLhlcal conLexLs of Lhe lo1 ............................ 4!
3! Infrastructures of prov|s|on .......................................................................................... S!
3.1! CenLrallsed versus decenLrallsed lnfrasLrucLures ....................................................... 6!
3.2! 8evlews and experlmenLs wlLh alLernaLlve user-lnLerface deslgns ............................ 6!
4! Iocus on tens|ons |n |nformat|on po||cy cho|ces ............................................................ 6!
S! r|or|t|s|ng the soc|a| dynam|cs of |nnovat|on ............................................................... 7!
6! Scop|ng stud|es of the soc|a|, |ega| and eth|ca| |ssues .................................................... 8!
6.1! rlvacy and daLa proLecLlon ...................................................................................... 10!
6.2! Clobal mlslnformaLlon sysLems ................................................................................ 10!
6.3! 8lg daLa problems ..................................................................................................... 10!
6.4! ubllc aLLlLudes, oplnlons and behavlour ................................................................. 11!
6.3! 1lghLly coupled sysLems ............................................................................................ 11!
6.6! CuallLy of servlce lssues ............................................................................................ 11!
6.7! new forms of rlsk: your refrlgeraLor ls calllng .......................................................... 11!
6.8! Llnklng Lhe lo1 Lo work on responslble lnnovaLlon ................................................... 12!
7! Soc|a| shap|ng of the des|gn of the Io1 ........................................................................ 12!
7.1! user lnvolvemenL ln deslgn ...................................................................................... 12!
7.2! ueslgns anLlclpaLlng eLhlcal and legal consLralnLs and requlremenLs ...................... 13!
7.3! lssues of governance, pollcy and regulaLlon ............................................................. 13!
7.3.1! Allgnlng local, naLlonal reglonal, and global pracLlces and pollcles .............. 14!
7.3.2! AccounLablllLy and llablllLy ............................................................................ 14!
7.3.3! 1he pollLlcs of sLandards ............................................................................... 14!
A roadmap for lnLerdlsclpllnary research on Lhe lnLerneL of 1hlngs: Soclal sclences
lll
7.3.4! 8eLhlnklng daLa proLecLlon ........................................................................... 14!
7.3.3! ConLrol of devlces ......................................................................................... 14!
8! Construct|ng th|s area to enab|e soc|a| and econom|c research ................................... 1S!
8.1! MeLhodologlcal Lools and approaches ..................................................................... 16!
9! Summary .................................................................................................................... 16!

A roadmap for lnLerdlsclpllnary research on Lhe lnLerneL of 1hlngs: Soclal sclences
1
1 Introduct|on
1he uk's 1echnology SLraLegy 8oard (1S8) has supporLed a Speclal lnLerneL Croup (SlC)
focused on Lhe lnLerneL of 1hlngs (lo1). 1hls ls one Lheme LhaL emerged from dlscusslons
wlLhln Lhe luLure lnLerneL SysLems Croup (llSC), also supporLed by Lhe 1S8. 1he uk's
8esearch Counclls (8Cuk) are lnLeresLed ln developmenLs around Lhe lo1, glven Lhe
poLenLlal of such lnnovaLlons Lo engage all Lhe dlsclpllnes, and lLs poLenLlal cenLrallLy Lo
8Cuk dlglLal economy programmes and a proposed ConnecLed ulglLal Lconomy CaLapulL
(CuLc) LhaL would be supporLed by 1S8. 1hls reporL ls a summary of dlscusslon wlLhln one
breakouL group of a roadmapplng workshop organlsed ln collaboraLlon wlLh Lhe 8Cuk, LhaL
focused on developlng a mulLldlsclpllnary undersLandlng of Lhe lo1 and Lhe klnds of research
LhaL should be supporLed by Lhe respecLlve research counclls.
1he roadmapplng workshop was almed aL lnformlng Lhe developmenL of research and
developmenL programmes as well as commerclally orlenLed lnlLlaLlves of Lhe lo1 SlC and Lhe
CuLc. 1hls parLlcular breakouL group focused on soclal and eLhlcal aspecLs of Lhe lo1,
ldenLlfylng research LhaL would be of value Lo undersLandlng Lhe soclal, legal and eLhlcal
facLors shaplng Lhe lo1 and lLs lmpllcaLlons for lndlvlduals, organlsaLlons and socleLy aL large
ln Lhe uk.
A ma[or rlsk ln a focus on Lhe lo1 ls LhaL lL wlll prlorlLlse a focus on Lhe Lechnlcal arLefacLs
and lgnore Lhe soclal aspecLs of Lhe large Lechnlcal sysLems or lnformaLlon lnfrasLrucLures
LhaL Lhey wlll requlre. Many of Lhe Lechnlcal lssues of sLandards and deslgn are challenglng,
and Lhere wlll be a sLrong push for Lechnlcally focused research and developmenL. And as
dlscussed below, lL wlll be hard Lo draw soclal researchers lnLo Lhls relaLlvely new area of
Lechnlcal lnnovaLlon. Powever, soclal sclenLlflc research perspecLlves wlll be crlLlcal Lo
challenglng many of Lhe common, Laken-for-granLed assumpLlons abouL Lhe lo1. Moreover,
some of Lhe soclal and economlc lmpllcaLlons - lnLended and unlnLended - are poLenLlally
klller lssues, such as lssues around prlvacy, LhaL could undermlne efforLs Lo explolL Lhese
developmenLs.
lor such reasons, Lhe Lconomlc and Soclal 8esearch Councll (LS8C) needs Lo play a
slgnlflcanL role ln sLudy of Lhe lo1. lL cannoL look Lo compuLer sclenLlsLs and englneers Lo seL
Lhe agenda for LS8C research, desplLe Lhe hard Lechnlcal aspecLs of Lhls area. Soclal
sclenLlsLs should be scoplng Lhe soclal and economlc lssues LhaL wlll shape Lhe deslgn,
developmenL and lmpllcaLlons of Lhe lo1, and developlng a sLrong research agenda around
Lhese lssues - all of whlch should advance Lheory and research on socleLy and Lhe lnLerneL
more generally.
1.1 1he mu|t|d|sc|p||nary nature of the Internet of 1h|ngs
1he formaLlon of a SlC on Lhe lo1 arose around a bellef ln Lhe need for mulLldlsclpllnary
research on Lhls Loplc.
1
1he lmmedlaLe focus was Lhe deslgn of a workshop, whlch resulLed
ln Lhls roadmapplng evenL, held ln Loughborough ln !uly 2012. 1hls sLarL was [udged Lo be

1
A mulLldlsclpllnary Leam was puL LogeLher around rofessor 8ahlm 1afazolll, CCS8 ulrecLor aL Lhe unlverslLy of Surrey.
8ahlm was a member of Lhe llSC and ls an englneer, focused on moblle communlcaLlon sysLems. Powever,
represenLaLlves of all Lhe 8esearch Counclls are lncluded ln Lhe SlC and charged wlLh advlslng Lhe SlC.
A roadmap for lnLerdlsclpllnary research on Lhe lnLerneL of 1hlngs: Soclal sclences
2
lmporLanL ln deflnlng a clear seL of lssues for mulLldlsclpllnary research LhaL could be
ldenLlfled before Lhe SlC moved forward. 1he alm of Lhls WhlLe aper ls Lo record and
furLher Lhe SlC's commlLmenL Lo conslder Lhe wlde range of eLhlcal, soclal and economlc
lssues ln charLlng dlrecLlons for research on Lhe lo1, whlch was Lhe focus of Lhe breakouL
group, whose dlscusslons are summarlsed here. As a breakouL group over Lwo half-days, Lhe
summary ls noL deslgned Lo be comprehenslve, buL seeks Lo be lndlcaLlve of lssues LhaL Lhls
group consldered crlLlcal Lo a research agenda LhaL encompassed Lhe soclal, legal and
eLhlcal dlmenslons of Lhe lo1.
1.2 keep|ng def|n|t|ona| |ssues open
1here are deflnlLlonal lssues over whaL Lhe lo1 encompasses. 1he workshop summary noLes
LhaL:
'1he lnLerneL of 1hlngs (lo1) ls one of Lhe Lerms wldely used for Lhe seL of
Lechnologles, sysLems and meLhodologles LhaL underplns Lhe emerglng new wave of
lnLerneL-enabled appllcaLlons based on physlcal ob[ecLs and Lhe envlronmenL
seamlessly lnLegraLlng lnLo Lhe lnformaLlon neLwork.'
2

ln many respecLs, Lhe lo1 capLures Lhe nexL sLage of Lhe lnLerneL's developmenL, movlng
from connecLlng people Lo one anoLher and Lo documenLs and daLa Lo connecLlng devlces
LhaL can operaLe ln sysLems wlLh Lhe ald of lnLelllgenL agenLs, and people. Arguably, Lhls ls
noL new.
3
Lven early demonsLraLlons of Lhe lnLerneL someLlmes focused on llnks wlLh
Lhlngs, llke a coffee poL. Powever, Lhe scale of developmenLs around connecLlng Lhlngs ls
growlng ln scale, sophlsLlcaLlon and appllcaLlon. lor example, slnce Lhe workshop was held,
Lhe lo1 has become one markeL-led programme of Lhe uk's SaLelllLe AppllcaLlons CaLapulL.
4

Clven Lhe pace of change, lL ls lmporLanL Lo leave Lhe deflnlLlon of Lhe lo1 relaLlvely open.
llrsL, Lhe lo1 ls evolvlng rapldly, and Lhe boundarles beLween Lhe lo1 and Lhe lnLerneL of
everyLhlng else ls permeable and blurred. eople are clearly an aspecL of any lo1, such as ln
smarL meLerlng, where people deslgn Lhese Lechnologles and are expecLed Lo read ouLpuL ln
Lhe household, Lhe uLlllLy company and wherever daLa ls shared. ueflnlLlons can shape
LheoreLlcal perspecLlves. lor lnsLance, an overly narrow Lechnlcal deflnlLlon of Lhe lo1 could
undermlne a soclal research agenda.
1.3 D|fferent|at|ng the Internet of 1h|ngs from the |nternet
Many dlscusslons abouL Lhe lo1 fade lnLo dlscusslons of Lhe lnLerneL generally, as Lhe
dlsLlncLlons are ofLen dlfflculL Lo malnLaln. rlvacy and daLa proLecLlon lssues, for example,
revolve around Lhe lo1 buL are qulLe slmllar Lo evolvlng dlscusslons over prlvacy around Lhe
lnLerneL more generally. Slmllarly aspecLs, of lssues around Lhe lo1 are lnvolved wlLh some
Lechnologles ln use wlLh Lhe moblle lnLerneL, such as CS and near fleld communlcaLlon

2
1S8 (2013) "!#$%&'%(!)$#!*+,-#&*./*(0*+%#1!#-.-%#/2!$+!,2-!3+,-#+-,!$)!42*+5., London: 1echnology SLraLegy 8oard, p. 4.
3
An l8M vldeo has provlded a carLoon-llke buL accesslble overvlew of Lhe baslc ldea, see:
hLLp://www.youLube.com/waLch?v=sfLbMv293kk
4
hLLps://caLapulL.lnnovaLeuk.org/saLelllLe-appllcaLlons
A roadmap for lnLerdlsclpllnary research on Lhe lnLerneL of 1hlngs: Soclal sclences
3
(nlC).
3
1haL sald, as dlscussed below, Lhe lo1 brlngs new opporLunlLles and LhreaLs Lo
prlvacy and daLa proLecLlon and ls Lherefore crlLlcal Lo hlghllghL wlLhln any lo1 research
agenda.
1.3.1 eop|e as ob[ects
Some parLlclpanLs remlnded oLhers LhaL people are ob[ecLs, and Lhe body ls an ob[ecL,
maklng people parL of Lhe lo1. lor example, web cameras comblned wlLh face recognlLlon
Lechnologles make Lhe person one more ob[ecL. ln such respecLs, wlll lL be posslble and
deslrable Lo make a clear dlsLlncLlon beLween Lhe lnLerneL and Lhe lo1? Wlll people even
know Lhey are parL of Lhe lo1? 1hey mlghL noL. ln many conLexLs, Lhe lo1 wlll be lnvlslble Lo
people, who are unllkely Lo reallse Lhe depLhs and frequency of Lhelr lnLeracLlons wlLh lo1
sysLems. 1hls 'unconsclous exposure' Leases ouL lssues of consenL and LrusL LhaL mlghL be
more cenLral Lo Lhe lo1 Lhan Lo many oLher lnLerneL appllcaLlons LhaL are more consclously
used by people.
1.3.2 Data shar|ng
Powever, Lhe lo1 carrles wlLh lL an lnherenL assumpLlon LhaL lnformaLlon wlll need Lo be
shared across Lhlngs, appllcaLlons and posslbly secLors ln order Lo be mosL useful, such as ln
uslng energy or waLer meLer readlngs Lo alerL a famlly abouL Lhe healLh of an elderly parenL
llvlng alone. 1hls daLa-sharlng assumpLlon mlghL lead Lo Lhe lo1 havlng even more dramaLlc
lmpacLs on prlvacy and daLa proLecLlon Lhan oLher lnformaLlon and communlcaLlon
Lechnologles (lC1s).
1.3.3 Sca|e matters
1here are fewer Lhan Len bllllon people on Lhe planeL, buL one organlsaLlon - P - foresees
Lhere belng a Lrllllon sensor devlces.
6
uaLa sLorage needs Lo cope wlLh Lhls expanslon
lnherenL ln Lhe lo1 are huge as well, even lf sLorage capaclLy ls doubllng every 18 monLhs.
1he scale of Lhe lo1 could slmply dwarf LhaL of Lhe lnLerneL of Loday. 1he poLenLlal scale of
lLs socleLal lmpllcaLlons ls equally enormous. Powever, Lhere appears Lo be a lack of
appreclaLlon, by researchers, Lhe publlc, pollcy-makers and lndusLry, of Lhe soclal
lmpllcaLlons of Lhls scale and Lhe pervaslveness of lLs appllcaLlon across all secLors of
socleLy.
1.4 Contexts and app||cat|ons are key
Llkewlse, lL ls dlfflculL Lo speak clearly abouL Lhe soclal aspecLs of Lhe lo1, such as underlylng
buslness models, wlLhouL focuslng on parLlcular areas, ranglng from monlLorlng medlcal
condlLlons Lo Lurnlng on household appllances Lo envlronmenLal sensors. Surveys and case
sLudles of Lhe use of Lhe lo1 ln varlous soclal and lnsLlLuLlonal conLexLs wlll be crlLlcal Lo
groundlng dlscusslon of Lhe lo1 ln concreLe emplrlcal reallLles. neverLheless, much
dlscusslon of Lhe lo1 ls ofLen conducLed aL a hlgh level of absLracLlon, as Lhe lo1 generally, or
ln a unlversal and lll-deflned conLexL. lL seems dlfflculL Lo speak ln any deLall abouL Lhe soclal

3
hLLp://en.wlklpedla.org/wlkl/near_fleld_communlcaLlon
6
hLLp://www.hp.com/hplnfo/newsroom/press/2009/091103xa.hLml
A roadmap for lnLerdlsclpllnary research on Lhe lnLerneL of 1hlngs: Soclal sclences
4
uses and lmpllcaLlons of such lnnovaLlons wlLhouL focuslng on speclflc conLexLs of use. As
cases ln polnL, conslder Lhe dlfferenL soclal lmpllcaLlons of Lhe lo1 for an amblenL klLchen,
performance arL (such as dancers wlred wlLh sensors), healLh monlLorlng, home energy
meLer readlng, monlLorlng polluLlon ln a rlver, Lrafflc flows, and so on. SysLems have very
dlfferenL appllcaLlons and conLexLs, whlch make dlscusslons of Lhelr socleLal lmpllcaLlons
more meanlngful when anchored ln speclflc appllcaLlons wlLhln a parLlcular conLexL.
1.S 1he centra||ty of the soc|a| sc|ences
1he soclal sclences should be very cenLral Lo research on Lhe lo1. 1he lo1 ls Lled Lo many
research areas already ln place, such as work on Lhe soclal lmpllcaLlons of Lhe lnLerneL,
prlvacy and daLa proLecLlon, dlglLal research and dlglLal soclal research, lncludlng new lssues
of blg daLa, and daLa analyLlcs, and lmpllcaLlons for servlces and Lhe quallLy and value of
lnformaLlon Lo Lhe general publlc and oLher users. Much can be drawn from relaLed
research areas, such as dlglLal research, Lo [ump-sLarL more soclal research on Lhe lo1.
7

1he followlng secLlons of Lhls reporL lndlcaLe key ways ln whlch Lhe soclal sclences can be
broughL lnLo Lhe sLudy of Lhe lo1, such as by looklng aL Lhe lo1 ln conLexL, descrlblng and
crlLlcally explorlng Lhe lnfrasLrucLures of provlslon, focuslng on Lhe Lenslons lnvolved ln key
pollcy cholces, prlorlLlslng Lhe soclal dynamlcs of lnnovaLlon, furLher scoplng of Lhe soclal,
legal and eLhlcal lssues aL sLake, Laklng accounL of Lhe soclal shaplng of Lhe Lechnology and
examlnlng key lssues of governance, pollcy and regulaLlon appllcable Lo Lhe lo1.
2 Lmp|r|ca| stud|es of the Io1 across mu|t|p|e contexts
lssues of LrusL, norms, open versus proprleLary daLa, and more are llkely Lo vary
subsLanLlally across dlfferenL conLexLs of use and appllcaLlon. Powever, lL ls dlfflculL Lo
predlcL Lhese dlfferences unless Lhere ls a careful body of emplrlcal work on how users vlew
Lhese Lechnologles ln dlfferenL conLexLs, Lhe cholces Lhey make, and Lhe lmpllcaLlons Lhey
have ln acLual seLLlngs of use. Pome energy meLer readlng wlll be dlfferenL from remoLe
monlLorlng of healLh and relaLed medlcal condlLlons. Sensor neLworks ln Lhe deserL Lo
monlLor selsmlc acLlvlLy and Lhelr effecLs on moLorway brldges wlll be qulLe dlfferenL from
monlLorlng pedesLrlans ln publlc places or havlng a 'smarL wardrobe'.
2.1 1owards a typo|ogy of soc|a|, |ega| and eth|ca| contexts of the Io1
1here would be value ln Lhe developmenL of a Lypology of Lhe lo1 from a 'conLexL of use'
perspecLlve, such as reflecLlng Lhe physlcal envlronmenL ln whlch lL ls embedded, ranglng
from large scale bulldlngs, Lo personal lLems - blomeLrlc passporLs and healLh self-
monlLorlng devlces. CaLegorlsaLlon of Lhese conLexLs of use could help lllumlnaLe and
concreLlse our undersLandlng of Lhe lo1.
1here may be aspecLs of Lhe lo1 LhaL are qulLe generlc, buL many wlll be lnfluenced
dramaLlcally by Lhe conLexLs wlLhln whlch lL ls developed and applled. ulfferenL soclal, legal

7
See for example, uuLLon, W. P. and !effreys, . (eds.) (2010) 6$#0&! 7*&-! #-.-%#/28! 9-.2%(*+5! ,2-! ./*-+/-.! %+&!
2:'%+*,*-., Cambrldge, MA: 1he Ml1 ress.
A roadmap for lnLerdlsclpllnary research on Lhe lnLerneL of 1hlngs: Soclal sclences
3
and eLhlcal lssues wlll be faced ln Lhese dlfferenL conLexLs of use. A few examples from
dlfferenL arenas of acLlvlLles help lllusLraLe Lhe slgnlflcance of conLexL:
;#-%,*<-! &*5*,%0! -/$+$'1. Wlll Lhe lo1 be Lhe new Lhlng for creaLlve dlglLal buslnesses
and appllcaLlons? ln a Llme of ausLerlLy and governmenLal cuLs, wlll Lhe lo1 be a
soluLlon or a frlll LhaL wlll need Lo awalL a Llme of more slack resources? AlLernaLlvely,
wlll appllcaLlons Lled Lo Lhe lo1 be percelved as a low-cosL way of provldlng servlces,
harvesLlng lnformaLlon, lnsplrlng new creaLlons? Wlll soclal, legal and eLhlcal lssues be
percelved as sLlfllng creaLlve lnnovaLlon ln buslness and commerce, and Lhereby be aL
rlsk of compromlse?
='%#,! %:5'-+,-&! /*,*-.. ClLles and communlLles ofLen arose as a conLexL of use and
appllcaLlon. Cne parLlclpanL argued LhaL Lhe baLLle over open daLa was belng foughL for
Lhe 'hearL and soul of smarL clLles'. Cpen sLandards would allow clLlzens and places Lo
lnLeracL wlLh one anoLher. A presenLaLlon from Llvlng lanl1
8
spoke of creaLlng '1he
urban CperaLlng SysLem' (uCS`) for lndusLrlallsaLlon of Lhe lnLerneL, vlewlng Lhe clLy
as a plaLform for Lhe lo1. lor example, augmenLed reallLy could be deflned as parL of an
lo1. Who wlll conLrol whaL llnks are made Lo qulck response (C8) codes, or codes
embedded ln lmages of your house, your face? WhaL wlll be approprlaLe or eLhlcal, and
how wlll such sLandards be developed and regulaLed, lf aL all?
3+,-00*5-+,! ,#%+.($#,. Clobal poslLlonlng sysLems (CS) ln cars and personal devlces,
such as moblle phones, have already broughL Lhe lo1 squarely lnLo Lhe supporL of
moblllLy and LransporLaLlon sysLems. 1he workshop spoke of Lechnologles ranglng from
moLorlsLs belng gulded lnLo flelds by CS sysLems Lo wheLher mlllLary drones were parL
of Lhe lo1.
>-%0,2! %+&! '-&*/%0! /%#-. Some of Lhe crlsp examples of Lhe lo1 clLed ln Lhe workshop
were Lled Lo healLh and medlcal devlces, ranglng from moblle appllcaLlons, such as a
moblle appllcaLlon LhaL enables users Lo monlLor Lhelr own hearL raLe ln real-Llme, Lo a
medlcal Leam remoLely monlLorlng lndlvlduals wlLh serlous medlcal condlLlons. lssues
of prlvacy, ownershlp of daLa, and conLrol over lLs use, arlse around such lnnovaLlons.
?%7! -+)$#/-'-+,. uevlces are already used Lo monlLor released prlsoners, such as
Lhose on a home release curfew. LlecLronlc monlLorlng ls already a conLroverslal lssue,
buL new devlces and sysLems wlll creaLe an lncenLlve for greaLer appllcaLlon, more
preclse Lracklng, and archlvlng, promlslng Lo ralse Lhe level and naLure of debaLes
surroundlng Lhls area of appllcaLlon.
3 Infrastructures of prov|s|on
lnfrasLrucLure sLudles are a rapldly growlng area for sclence and Lechnology sLudles.
9
ln Lhls
area, soclal sclenLlsLs descrlbe Lechnlcal lnfrasLrucLures ln ways LhaL explaln how small
changes can have ma[or soclal and pollcy lmpllcaLlons.
10


8
hLLp://llvlng-planlL.com/
9
Ldwards, . n., !ackson, S. L., 8owker, C. C. and knobel, C. . (2007),'undersLandlng lnfrasLrucLure: dynamlcs, Lenslons,
and deslgn', 8eporL of a Workshop on 'PlsLory and Lheory of lnfrasLrucLure', Ann Arbor, Mlchlgan, !anuary.
10
Sandvlg, C. (2013), '1he lnLerneL as lnfrasLrucLure' ln uuLLon, W. P. (ed.) 42-! @A)$#&! >%+&B$$C! $)! 3+,-#+-,! =,:&*-.,
Cxford: Cxford unlverslLy ress, pp. 86-108.
A roadmap for lnLerdlsclpllnary research on Lhe lnLerneL of 1hlngs: Soclal sclences
6
3.1 Centra||sed versus decentra||sed |nfrastructures
Soclal and legal lssues are llkely Lo be shaped by Lhe ways ln whlch servlces are provlded,
such as vla cloud compuLlng or more decenLrallsed sLorage and reLrleval aL Lhe end of Lhe
plpe. 8esearch needs Lo focus on embeddlng Lhls full range of arrangemenLs for provlslon Lo
examlne such lssues as wheLher prlvacy and daLa proLecLlon are exacerbaLed ln some lo1
lnfrasLrucLures, such as ln Lhe cloud. Where ls daLa collecLed, analysed and archlved, by
whom and under whose conLrol? WlLh whom ls lL shared and under whaL provlslons?
3.2 kev|ews and exper|ments w|th a|ternat|ve user-|nterface des|gns
CLher lnfrasLrucLure lssues arlse around human-compuLer lnLerface deslgns. Some seLs of
lssues mlghL be amenable Lo experlmenLs, such as wlLh alLernaLlve user-lnLerface deslgns or
Lechnologles. lor example, should soclal, legal and eLhlcal deslgns be hard-wlred lnLo Lhe
lo1, or should users be able Lo choose and conLrol seLLlngs? Wlll cholce leave some groups
or lndlvlduals more vulnerable, such as Lhose wlLh lower levels of dlglLal medla llLeracy? Wlll
socleLal dlvldes be wldened or deepened, such as around age and poverLy, by cholces LhaL
are less conLrollable by Lhose who are older or less well Lo do? 1here are already deslgns
based on users movlng Lhelr flngers or maklng oLher physlcal movemenLs, such as hand
wavlng.
11
Wlll Lhese deslgns open up Lhe lo1 Lo new users? WhaL problems wlll be posed by
'refusenlcks' who decllne Lo use or employ parLlcular appllcaLlons of Lhe lo1? Wlll non-use
be posslble or feaslble ln a connecLed dlglLal economy?
4 Iocus on tens|ons |n |nformat|on po||cy cho|ces
WlLhln any conLexL, Lhe group felL LhaL lL would be producLlve for developlng a research
agenda lf Lhere ls a focus on key Lenslons or conLroversles LhaL mlghL be addressed by soclal
sclence research. Some Lhe Lenslons ldenLlfled by Lhe group are ouLllned ln 1able 1. Whlle
Lhls Lable admlLLedly overslmpllfles pollcy cholces, lL does hlghllghL Lhe dlverse ways ln
whlch an lo1 could be developed, such as ln open or proprleLary sysLems (1able 1).

11
An example ls Leap MoLlon: hLLps://leapmoLlon.com/
A roadmap for lnLerdlsclpllnary research on Lhe lnLerneL of 1hlngs: Soclal sclences
7
1ab|e 1 Ioca| po|nts of po||cy tens|ons around the Io1
1ens|ons Low contro| n|gh contro|
Access Cpen roprleLary
lnnovaLlon lreedom and lncenLlves Lo Llnker CuallLy conLrol
SLandards seLLlng Agreelng a small seL of sLandards Lo
enable lnLeroperablllLy
Lnabllng dlverslLy buL rlsklng fragmenLaLlon
across a prollferaLlng number of sLandards
LhaL mlghL LhreaLen lnLeroperablllLy
Covernance CreaLe lncenLlves, such as for
Lransparency
MandaLe pollcles, such as over
Lransparency, and readable Lerms and
condlLlons applled Lo daLa
Soclal sclence
approaches
new dlglLal soclal research 1radlLlonal meLhods, brakes on dlglLal
research
Cholce Lnable people Lo declde whaL Lhey
wanL devlces Lo do, provlde oLhers,
eLc.
LlmlL cholce Lo enable more predlcLable
sysLems LhaL meeL expecLaLlons
uaLa lnLegrlLy LoLs of coples Lo keep sLuff safe
(LCCkSS), archlved
lew coples Lo conLrol access, accuracy and
guard prlvacy
uaLa reLenLlon Cpen Lo provlders, users Mlnlmum or maxlmum sLandards requlred
lorgeLLlng lndlvldual cholce, educaLlon, dlglLal
llLeracy
8egulaLlon on rlghL Lo keep or forgeL,
change lnformaLlon
ldenLlLy MulLlple and evolvlng Slngle and perslsLenL

S r|or|t|s|ng the soc|a| dynam|cs of |nnovat|on
A cenLral lssue for Lhe SlC and Lhe 1S8's CuLc wlll be how lnnovaLlons around Lhe lo1 can be
fosLered ln Lhe uk as a means Lo supporL economlc developmenL. Cf course, Lhe dynamlcs
of Lechnologlcal lnnovaLlon have been cenLral Lo decades of soclal research, and Lhe soclal
sclences should be key Lo addresslng such lssues. Ma[or Lechnologlcal lnnovaLlon ln Lhe
workplace, household or oLher soclal seLLlngs ofLen requlres changes ln how we do Lhlngs -
soclal and culLural lnnovaLlon, noL slmply Lechnlcal change. lor example, Lhe producLlvlLy
beneflLs of many lC1 lnnovaLlons ln Lhe workplace are noL reallsed wlLhouL re-englneerlng
Lhe way work ls done. lL ls Lherefore lmporLanL Lo Lrack lnnovaLlons around Lhe lo1, and Lhe
facLors LhaL faclllLaLe and consLraln Lhe soclal lnnovaLlons, ranglng from lncenLlve sLrucLures
Lo buslness models underplnnlng Lhelr adopLlon.
8eyond Lechnlcal lnnovaLlon, adopLlon of Lhe lo1 ls llkely Lo requlre ma[or organlsaLlonal
and servlce lnnovaLlons as Lhe lo1 wlll requlre new parLnershlps beLween organlsaLlons (e.g.
lnsurance companles and ln-car navlgaLlon sofLware provlders Lo Lallor lnsurance pollcles Lo
lndlvldual drlver behavlour). ldenLlfylng such parLnershlps and Lhe successful buslness
models behlnd Lhem wlll be lnvaluable for undersLandlng lnnovaLlon wlLhln Lhls area. uo
organlsaLlonal l1 deparLmenLs have Lhe rlghL skllls and paradlgms ln place Lo explolL Lhe lo1?
1he scale and reach of companles lnvolved ln Lhe lo1 ls llkely Lo be polarlsed. Cn Lhe one
hand, companles such as hlllps and LlecLrolux are lnvolved ln large-scale global pro[ecLs,
A roadmap for lnLerdlsclpllnary research on Lhe lnLerneL of 1hlngs: Soclal sclences
8
whlle SMLs such as 8L8C London and Cosm (prevlously achube) are more llkely Lo be
locally focused. WhaL are Lhe dlfferenL lnnovaLlon sLraLegles used ln such dlverse buslness
conLexLs? Are Lhere knowledge Lransfer lessons LhaL can be shared beLween buslness-Lo-
buslness and buslness-Lo-consumer conLexLs and small-Lo-medlum- Lo large-scale
organlsaLlons?
uesplLe Lhe problemaLlc noLlon LhaL Lhe lo1 does noL lnvolve humans, people wlll be dlrecLly
lnvolved ln adopLlng and someLlmes paylng for sysLems. lf households do noL look aL daLa
from Lhelr energy meLer afLer Lhe lnlLlal novelLy wears off, lf aL all, Lhen much of lLs
expecLed uLlllLy wlll be losL. lL ls noL wlse Lo assume LhaL Lhere wlll be a markeL for Lhe lo1 ln
many soclal conLexLs wlLh respecL Lo many appllcaLlons. AL Lhe same Llme, lL ls unreallsLlc Lo
expecL Lhe publlc Lo know ln advance lf Lhey wlll value such lnnovaLlons. upLake ls Lled Lo a
varleLy of soclal and economlc facLors LhaL wlll shape access Lo, Lake-up and use of Lhe lo1,
such as geography (rural versus urban), economlc resources, age and llfe sLage, and more.
Cf course, lnnovaLlon ls [usL one of many lssues relevanL Lo Lhe soclal, legal and eLhlcal
lssues of an lo1.
6 Scop|ng stud|es of the soc|a|, |ega| and eth|ca| |ssues
1he workshop helped Lo [ump-sLarL an efforL Lo scope Lhe range of key soclal, legal and
eLhlcal lssues Lled Lo Lhe lo1, such as around daLa (ownershlp, rlghLs, reLenLlon, forgeLLlng,
conLrol, access, rlghLs, such as rlghLs Lo machlne-generaLed daLa), neLworks and oLher
aspecLs of Lhe lnfrasLrucLure of Lhe lo1 (see 1able 2). More sysLemaLlc efforLs Lo more
comprehenslvely survey, ldenLlfy, classlfy and furLher scope Lhe wlde range of lssues would
be of value Lo research ln Lhls emerglng area.
1ab|e 2: Soc|a|, |ega| and eth|ca| |ssues of the Io1
Issue Descr|pt|on Io1 examp|e(s)
rlvacy and daLa proLecLlon Lnsure agalnsL unauLhorlsed
dlsclosure of personal lnformaLlon
ersonal lnformaLlon ls everywhere
ln Lhe lo1-how do we even flnd lL?
rlvacy as peace of mlnd Avold lnvaslon of personal space and
expecLaLlons
lnLruslve survelllance ln a prlvaLe
space
Cholce Should users be offered cholce ln Lhe
use of Lhe lo1? Wlll Lhe lo1 lncrease
or decrease cholce?
Lnergy monlLorlng mlghL need Lo
conLrol use of household appllances,
overrldlng user preferences
Soclal lssues of devlces
assoclaLed wlLh lndlvlduals
A moblle phone can be used Lo Lrack
one's locaLlon, for beLLer or worse
Wldespread comforL wlLh a moblle
phone, whaL abouL apparel?
SecurlLy SysLem and daLa kepL secure from
unauLhorlsed access, such as by
hackers
8emoLe monlLorlng of devlces,
spaces, daLa
Cwnershlp and lnLellecLual
properLy rlghLs
ClarlLy over who owns whaL daLa,
rlghL Lo use daLa, .
Who owns daLa abouL your physlcal
condlLlon, e.g. hearL raLe, walklng
speed
ConLrol ClarlLy over who conLrols use of daLa
or sysLems
Lnergy soluLlons may Lake conLrol
away from lndlvldual households
SafeLy and proLecLlon of
Lhe publlc
Sensor neLworks on brldges and
roads can monlLor selsmlc acLlvlLy,
provldlng early warnlng of rlsks
ubllc webcams can be used Lo
lmprove Lhe safeLy of parLlcular
areas, or wlll Lhey dlsplace crlme?
A roadmap for lnLerdlsclpllnary research on Lhe lnLerneL of 1hlngs: Soclal sclences
9
1ab|e 2: Soc|a|, |ega| and eth|ca| |ssues of the Io1 (cont.)
Ceaslng of acLlon, and
plannlng for obsolescence
Who can sLop a sysLem, and who ls
responslble for Lhe lmpllcaLlons of
ceaslng?
WhaL happens Lo a person's Lhlngs
and Lhe daLa abouL Lhem when Lhey
dle?
Ceography of beneflLs and
cosLs
Wlll Lhe beneflLs of Lhe lo1 be
concenLraLed ln affluenL naLlons and
cosLs, such as wasLe, concenLraLed ln
Lhe leasL affluenL?
ueveloplng naLlons are now bearlng
Lhe brunL of elecLronlc wasLe
8lodegradable Wlll Lrllllons of Lhlngs polluLe Lhe
envlronmenL wlLh more elecLronlc
wasLe or be deslgned Lo blodegrade?
Moblle phones are essenLlally noL
blodegradable, and are Loxlc
Lnergy consumpLlon of Lhe
consLanLly connecLed
Server farms consume large amounLs
of energy Lo supporL cloud
compuLlng, wlLh a dlsconnecLlon
beLween usage and envlronmenLal
cosL
ls Lhe rlse of Lhe lo1 llkely Lo
lncrease Lhe need for greaLer energy
consumpLlon, or reduce carbon
emlsslons, such as by smarL
LransporLaLlon?
uaLa reLenLlon lorgeLLlng, reLalnlng, archlvlng,
curaLlng daLa generaLed by Lhe lo1
Wlll people be able Lo sLop Lhe
ablllLy of oLhers Lo Lrack Lhelr
whereabouLs Lhrough Lhe Lhlngs
Lhey wear, such as Lhelr phone?
LLhlcal aspecLs of deslgns Can prlvacy be deslgned lnLo Lhe lo1?
Are Lhere llnks Lo developmenLs
around responslble lnnovaLlon?
Wlll prlvacy deslgns undermlne Lhe
vlablllLy of some appllcaLlons, such
as locaLlon-based servlces?
CulLural pracLlces uo sysLems allgn wlLh Lhe culLural
pracLlces of dlfferenL groups? uo Lhey
presuppose a parLlcular culLural
conLexL?
Wlll servlces be avallable ln mulLlple
languages?
LducaLlonal pollcy, Leachlng
and learnlng pracLlces
12

Can Lhe lo1 supporL learnlng Lhrough
maklng, physlcal consLrucLlon wlLh
codlng and hacklng Lechnology?
Wlll new learnlng Lools develop,
such as programmlng elecLronlc
blocks?
13
Wlll Lhe lo1 place a
burden on Lhe educaLlonal sysLem,
requlrlng sLudenLs Lo be LaughL an
lo1 llLeracy?
user engagemenL ln deslgn,
such as llvlng labs
Can researchers become lnvolved ln
parLlclpaLory deslgn where users are
acLlvely lnvolved ln Lhe co-deslgnlng
of lo1 servlces, especlally ln
lnformaLlon lnLerfaces and creaLlng
seamless servlces?
lleld research on Lhe acLual use of
Lhe lo1 ln dlfferenL conLexLs of use.
lmpllcaLlons for value of
properLy, bulldlngs, eLc.
Wlll Lhe lo1 become a sLandard
feaLure of auLomoblles, clLles and
workplaces?
Wlll a smarL home or bulldlng be
more markeLable?

A few lssues sLood ouL as mosL slgnlflcanL ln shaplng Lhe vlablllLy of Lhe lo1.

12
nLS1A recenLly produced a reporL ln Lhls area:
hLLp://www.nesLa.org.uk/areas_of_work/publlc_servlces_lab/dlglLal_educaLlon/asseLs/feaLures/decodlng_learnlng_re
porL
13
See hLLp://lLee.uq.edu.au/~peLa/_LlecLronlc8locks.hLm
A roadmap for lnLerdlsclpllnary research on Lhe lnLerneL of 1hlngs: Soclal sclences
10
6.1 r|vacy and data protect|on
1here was much dlscusslon abouL how people feel abouL 'glvlng away' Lhelr lnformaLlon, or
enabllng oLhers Lo harvesL lnformaLlon based on Lhelr behavlour. Some people seem very
cauLlous abouL glvlng away deLalls, such as by uslng soclal neLworklng Lool faclllLles Lo seL
boundarles around who can see Lhe dlfferenL levels of deLall. CLhers are more relaxed or
blase and more lncllned Lo glve away any lnformaLlon abouL Lhemselves for very small
rewards. 1hls dlvlslon mlghL be generaLlonal, wlLh young people, as some argued, belng
mosL vulnerable Lo explolLaLlon, buL oLhers argued LhaL Lhe young have hlgher expecLaLlons,
lncreaslngly feellng LhaL Lhey have and should have Lhe ablllLy Lo conLrol who knows whaL
abouL Lhem, compared Lo older people. Powever, lf someLhlng goes wrong and say a
person's deLalls geL dlsplayed lnapproprlaLely somewhere Lhls may change LhaL lndlvldual's
aLLlLude Lo keeplng personal daLa more prlvaLe. 1here ls Lhe posslblllLy Lo carry ouL research
lnLo Lhe publlc's aLLlLudes Lo prlvacy ln relaLlon Lo onllne sysLems LhaL could lead Lo
recommendaLlons for whaL ls good pracLlce for handllng such daLa. 8esearch ls also llkely Lo
polnL Lo Lhe need for awareness ralslng among Lhe publlc aL large abouL whaL ls acLually
done wlLh Lhelr daLa, how lL may be used and whaL Lhey can do lf Lhey wlsh Lo Lake conLrol
of lL ln some way.
6.2 G|oba| m|s|nformat|on systems
We had a llvely dlscusslon of Lhe Lendency of people Lo collecL more lnformaLlon Lhan Lhey
can use. All Lhe varlous acLors lnvolved wlLh Lhe lo1 are llkely Lo err on Lhe slde of geLLlng
and harvesLlng more lnformaLlon Lhan Lhey need. 1hls was a classlc lssue wlLh managemenL
lnformaLlon sysLems ln Lhe earllesL decades of daLa processlng, and Lhe lnLerneL and Lhe lo1
ls brlnglng Lhls problem of whaL 8ussell Ackoff called managemenL mlslnformaLlon sysLems
Lo Lhe general publlc aL a level LhaL Ackoff could noL have anLlclpaLed.
14
1he enLhuslasm and
hype surroundlng 'blg daLa' ls llkely Lo exacerbaLe Lhls daLa deluge, as daLa becomes
percelved as new resource.
6.3 8|g data prob|ems
ln a growlng varleLy of conLexLs, Lhe lo1 wlll be generaLlng huge quanLlLles of daLa LhaL can
be lmaglnaLlvely applled as lndlcaLors of soclal behavlour. 1he analyLlcal value of Lhls daLa
depends on Lhe exacL LralLs LhaL are capLured, Lhe populaLlon from whlch lL ls harvesLed,
and lLs avallablllLy, such as wheLher lL ls locked up ln a proprleLary conLexL. Large quanLlLles
of daLa are noL necessarlly valuable and can be mlsused ln ways LhaL lead Lo lnvalld
lnferences. Powever, Lhe daLa generaLed by Lhe lo1 ln Lhe course of everyday llfe and work
wlll undoubLedly generaLe daLa aL levels LhaL wlll presenL greaLer opporLunlLles and rlsks,
such as wlLh respecL Lo eLhlcal guldellnes. 1he deslgn and vlsuallsaLlon of daLa wlll affecL
levels of engagemenL and rlsk, lL wlll also have Lhe poLenLlal Lo enhance Lransparency ln
daLa sharlng and reduce oLher negaLlve aspecLs of Lhe lo1, lf daLa vlsuallsaLlons are deslgned
ln relaLlon Lo users' lnLeresLs.

14
Ackoff, 8. L. (1967),'ManagemenL MlslnformaLlon SysLems', D%+%5-'-+,!=/*-+/-, 14(4): 8147-8136.
A roadmap for lnLerdlsclpllnary research on Lhe lnLerneL of 1hlngs: Soclal sclences
11
6.4 ub||c att|tudes, op|n|ons and behav|our
1here was much dlscusslon of Lhe degree Lo whlch Lhe publlc care abouL prlvacy, daLa
proLecLlon, and oLher soclal lssues of Lhe lo1, as opposed Lo Lhe beneflLs Lhe publlc mlghL
expecL ln publlc safeLy, energy conservaLlon and lower cosLs. Some research has found LhaL
Lhe publlc's concern over prlvacy relaLed Lo lC1s, such as Lhe lnLerneL, remalns subsLanLlal,
13

buL many are sLlll wllllng Lo glve lL up for safeLy or convenlence. lL has been characLerlsed as
a mlle wlde buL an lnch deep,
16
buL LhaL does noL mean law and pollcy should noL proLecL
prlvacy.
6.S 1|ght|y coup|ed systems
SocleLal lmpllcaLlons mlghL be Lled Lo Lhe lo1 leadlng Lo Lhe developmenL of lncreaslngly
large scale, hlghly coupled Lechnologlcal sysLems LhaL can remove human lnLervenLlon Lo be
more rellable buL also lncrease Lhe poLenLlal for socleLal vulnerablllLy, as wlLh ma[or sysLem
crashes.
17
Loosely coupled sysLems mlghL be more flexlble and more capable of adapLlng Lo
unexpecLed changes. ln Lhls respecL, wlll Lhe developmenL of an lo1 creaLe more serlous
socleLal rlsks?
6.6 ua||ty of serv|ce |ssues
1he vlew LhaL Lhe lo1 wlll lead lnevlLably Lo a hlgher quallLy ln Lhe provlslon of many servlces
ls problemaLlc. 1he use of auLomaLlc volce commands ln auLomoblles was qulckly re[ecLed.
MosL drlvers vlewed Lhem as a dlsLracLlng annoyance. SmarL homes wlLh moLlon-acLlvaLed
llghLs ofLen creaLe havoc wlLh llghLs belng acLlvaLed by peLs or people aL Lhe wrong Llme, or
people runnlng around ln a room ln order Lo swlLch Lhe llghLs on. Many of Lhese fallures
mlghL be puL down Lo early deslgn flaws, buL Lhey polnL ouL Lhe challenges of ensurlng LhaL
any Lechnologlcal loglc addresses more cenLral concerns over Lhe ends Lled Lo Lhe lo1 as a
means, and noL an end ln lLself.
6.7 New forms of r|sk: your refr|gerator |s ca|||ng
8eyond prlvacy and daLa proLecLlon, does Lhe lo1 open up new forms of socleLal rlsk, or
exacerbaLe exlsLlng lssues of rlsk? Wlll Lhere be new LhreaLs Lo ldenLlLy LhefL, for example?
Wlll mlsundersLandlng Lhe purpose, lnLenL or exLenL of a Lhlng's funcLlon be lnherenLly more
dangerous? lor lnsLance, a new rlsk mlghL revolve around Lhe conLrol of acLuaLors. 1he lo1
ln general lncludes acLuaLors as well as sensors. (AcLuaLors are Lhe devlces LhaL conLrol a
mechanlsm, such as Lelllng lL Lo Lurn on a llghL or send a message.) AcLuaLors LhaL are
embedded ln a publlc envlronmenL or LhaL can acL aL a dlsLance may affecL people oLher
Lhan Lhelr owners. Cne posslble new form of rlsk ls LhaL people who are adversely affecLed
by such acLuaLors (for example, belng repeaLedly Lelephoned by a publlc lavaLory LhaL has

13
uuLLon, W. P. and 8lank, C. (2011) E-A,! F-+-#%,*$+! G.-#.8! 42-! @A)$#&! 3+,-#+-,! =:#<-1! HIJJ, Cxford: Cxford lnLerneL
lnsLlLuLe, unlverslLy of Cxford.
16
uuLLon, W. P. and Meadow, 8. C. (1987) 'A Lolerance for survelllance: Amerlcan publlc oplnlon concernlng prlvacy and
clvll llberLles' ln LevlLan, k. 8. (ed.), F$<-#+'-+,!*+)$.,#:/,:#-., WesLporL, C1: Creenwood ress, pp. 147-170.
17
8ochlln, C. l. (1997) 4#%((-&! *+! ,2-! E-,8! 42-! G+%+,*/*(%,-&! ;$+.-K:-+/-.! $)! ;$'(:,-#*L%,*$+, rlnceLon unlverslLy
ress.
A roadmap for lnLerdlsclpllnary research on Lhe lnLerneL of 1hlngs: Soclal sclences
12
run ouL of supplles and has been programmed wlLh Lhe wrong number Lo conLacL Lhe
suppller,
18
or belng locked ln a bulldlng by lLs auLomaLed securlLy sysLem) may noL flnd lL
slmple Lo geL Lhe problem remedled. 1here may be mallclous use of acLuaLors, and adverse
lnLeracLlons beLween dlfferenL acLuaLors, as well as slmple malfuncLlons and
mlsprogrammlng.
6.8 L|nk|ng the Io1 to work on respons|b|e |nnovat|on
1here would be value ln llnklng research and developmenL on Lhe lo1 Lo programmes
developlng around Lhe concepL of 'responslble research and lnnovaLlon' (88l).
19
1he ldea of
an 88l programme would apply Lo all forms of lnnovaLlon across buslness and research, and
seek Lo lnfluence pollcy and pracLlce ln boLh areas. 88l provldes one example of a number of
programmes LhaL mlghL embed conslderaLlon of Lhe lo1 and address some of Lhe lssues LhaL
surfaced ln Lhe workshop, buL also move conslderaLlon of Lhe lo1 lnLo oLher areas, such as
such global lssues as energy and cllmaLe change.
20

7 Soc|a| shap|ng of the des|gn of the Io1
More generally, can varlous vlslons of Lhe socleLal lmpllcaLlons of Lhe lo1 be crlLlcally
assessed? 1here has been and wlll be much Lalk of Lhe lo1 lmprovlng Lravel, democracy,
educaLlon and healLhcare. Whlle lL ls valuable Lo undersLand Lhe poLenLlal of Lhe lo1, lL ls
also lmporLanL Lo crlLlcally assess Lhe feaslblllLy of Lhese scenarlos and sLudy Lhe acLual
lmpllcaLlons ln conLexL, such as noLed above around lnfrasLrucLure sLudles. Powever, Lhere
are myrlad ways ln whlch economlc, legal, eLhlcal and oLher soclal facLors shape Lhe deslgn
of Lechnologles llke Lhe lo1, such as around user lnvolvemenL and anLlclpaLory deslgn.
7.1 User |nvo|vement |n des|gn
Soclal research wlll be crlLlcal Lo Lhe deslgn of sysLems lf Lhey are Lo engage users. WhaL
devlces look llke, and where Lhey are placed, can be ma[or lssues for users. CfLen lL ls
lmposslble Lo predlcL Lhese reacLlons wlLhouL Lrlals and sLudy of acLual users and Lhe
usablllLy of dlfferenL devlces. Clven Lhe scale of resources belng devoLed Lo usablllLy sLudles
across Lhe compuLlng and lnLerneL lndusLrles, lL wlll be challenglng Lo flnd ways ln whlch
soclal sclence supporL wlll enable ma[or lnslghLs on Lhese lssues, buL lL ls also Lhe case LhaL
lndusLry can become Lrapped ln parLlcular models of provlslon LhaL could be [eLLlsoned by
soclal research LhaL has noL lnvesLed ln prevalllng models. WlLh Lhe lnLroducLlon of self-

18
1hls acLually happened ln 1997: hLLp://caLless.ncl.ac.uk/8lsks/19.33.hLml#sub[1
19
See von Schomberg, 8. (ed.) (2011) 4$7%#&.! #-.($+.*B0-! #-.-%#/2! %+&! *++$<%,*$+! *+!,2-! *+)$#'%,*$+! %+&!
/$'':+*/%,*$+! ,-/2+$0$5*-.! %+&! .-/:#*,1! ,-/2+$0$5*-.!)*-0&., Luxembourg: ubllcaLlon Cfflce of Lhe Luropean unlon.
8eLrleved from hLLp://ec.europa.eu/research/sclence-socleLy/documenL_llbrary/pdf_06/mep-rapporL-2011_en.pdf,
SLahl, 8. C. (2011) 'l1 for a beLLer fuLure: how Lo lnLegraLe eLhlcs, pollLlcs and lnnovaLlon', M$:#+%0! $)! 3+)$#'%,*$+N!
;$'':+*/%,*$+! %+&! O,2*/.! *+! =$/*-,1!(9:3), Speclal lssue on Lmerglng 1echnology and LLhlcs, edlLed by kuLoma
Wakunuma, pp. 140-136, and Cwen, 8. and Coldberg, n. (2010) '8esponslble lnnovaLlon: a plloL sLudy wlLh Lhe
uk Lnglneerlng and hyslcal Sclences 8esearch Councll', 9*.C!"+%01.*.8!"+!3+,-#+%,*$+%0!M$:#+%0, 30(11), pp. 1699-1707,
avallable onllne aL: dol:10.1111/[.1339-6924.2010.01317.x
20
Llnks Lo relevanL programmes lnclude: LLhlcal lssues of Lmerglng lC1 AppllcaLlons (L1lCA) www.eLlca-pro[ecL.eu, and
lramework for 8esponslble 8esearch and lnnovaLlon ln lC1 hLLp://responslble-lnnovaLlon.org.uk/frrllcL/

A roadmap for lnLerdlsclpllnary research on Lhe lnLerneL of 1hlngs: Soclal sclences
13
monlLorlng devlces ln paLlenL healLhcare, for example, lnsLlLuLlons such as Lhe nPS wlll need
Lo respond organlsaLlonally ln order Lo dellver dlfferenL Lypes of servlces, paLlenL-docLor
relaLlonshlps wlll also have Lo adapL. lnLerdlsclpllnary parLlclpaLory deslgn meLhods Lo co-
deslgn servlces can asslsL Lhese changes buL lL requlres an lnLegraLed approach beLween
dlfferenL sLakeholders raLher Lhan a bolL-on approach.
Llkewlse, soclal research can ofLen place more emphasls on deslgnlng for dlverslLy, when
lndusLry mlghL focus on early adopLers. Clven dlglLal dlvldes, by age and lncome, for
example, Lhere are llkely Lo be radlcally dlfferenL aLLlLudes and values concernlng Lhe need
for and deslrablllLy of an lo1, such as ln Lhe household, or ln publlc spaces.
7.2 Des|gns ant|c|pat|ng eth|ca| and |ega| constra|nts and requ|rements
Some appllcaLlons of Lhe lo1 are llkely Lo generaLe very senslLlve personal lnformaLlon,
maklng lssues of prlvacy and daLa proLecLlon, ownershlp and securlLy even more lmporLanL.
A slmple example ls an energy meLer readlng, whlch can reveal aspecLs of a household's
rouLlne behavlour LhaL could be senslLlve. 1hls ls lllusLraLed by Lalk of lLs poLenLlal Lo provlde
servlces for senlors, such as calllng a famlly member lf a senlor clLlzen does noL geL up ln Lhe
mornlng. Some of Lhe assoclaLed lssues are Lransparency and consenL. Wlll users, such as
households, undersLand whaL ls collecLed, by whom and for whaL purposes? Wlll Lhey know
lf daLa ls sold Lo, or used, by Lhlrd parLles?
Are Lhere eLhlcal lssues Lled Lo Lhe lo1 LhaL are noL slmply relaLed Lo lC1s ln general? lor
example, wlll Lhere be developlng norms abouL Lhe use of Lhe lo1, slmllar Lo evolvlng norms
abouL Lhe use of soclal medla? WhaL could be Lhe effecL on norms of Lhe lo1, such as by
ldenLlfylng people ln a room? Wlll guldellnes need Lo be lmposed on provlders of lo1, such
as 'do no harm'? Some of Lhe common eLhlcal deslgn lssues are presenLed ln 1able 3.
1ab|e 3 Lth|ca| des|gn of the Io1
Area Descr|pt|on
rlvacy by deslgn rlvacy lmpacL assessmenLs, buL also slmply maklng prlvacy a prlorlLy from early
sLages of deslgn
SecurlLy by deslgn 8ulldlng securlLy lnLo sysLems from Lhe beglnnlng raLher Lhan downsLream, once a
Lechnology dlffuses
value senslLlve deslgn 8ulldlng sysLems focused on parLlcular values, such as movlng conLrol closer Lo
Lhe user
lmpacL assessmenL Looklng aL Lhe full range of soclal and economlc lmpllcaLlons, lnLended and
unlnLended

7.3 Issues of governance, po||cy and regu|at|on
8egulaLory processes deslgned Lo cope wlLh hundreds or Lhousands of LransacLlons or
servlces provlders mlghL need Lo be reconsldered ln order Lo cope wlLh a Lrllllon Lhlngs and
Lhe daLa Lhey produce. undoubLedly, new developmenLs around Lhe lo1 wlll move fasLer
Lhan Lhe law and pollcy, creaLlng an almosL cerLaln crlsls of governance and pollcy ln Lhls
area.
A roadmap for lnLerdlsclpllnary research on Lhe lnLerneL of 1hlngs: Soclal sclences
14
1hese lssues move qulckly lnLo lssues of governance, pollcy and regulaLlon, from consumer
lssues Lo lndusLrlal pollcy and economlc developmenL. AnLhony lurness argues LhaL many of
Lhe soclal and eLhlcal lssues of Lhe lo1 can lndeed be deflned as governance lssues.
21
Pe has
worked on a framework for dlscusslng governance lssues, based on hls research ln
CASAC8AS (CoordlnaLlon and SupporL AcLlon for Clobal 8llu-relaLed AcLlvlLles and
SLandardlsaLlon). Clearly, Lhere ls a need for sLudy of approprlaLe models of governance for
an lo1 LhaL can cope wlLh Lhe scale and pace of change ln Lhls area. Some of Lhe key lssues
of governance and regulaLlon lnclude Lhe followlng.
7.3.1 A||gn|ng |oca|, nat|ona| reg|ona|, and g|oba| pract|ces and po||c|es
1he workshop dlscussed Lhe need Lo allgn our pollcy agenda wlLh developmenLs ln pollcy
and governance aL local and global levels, such as across Lhe Lu. All of Lhe lssues beseLLlng
lnLerneL governance, ranglng from [urlsdlcLlonal Lurf wars Lo Lhe lnsLlLuLlonal arrangemenLs
of governance sLrucLures wlll be relevanL Lo Lhe lo1.
7.3.2 Accountab|||ty and ||ab|||ty
Wlll Lhe lo1 lncrease or undermlne and obscure accounLablllLy for fallures, daLa breaches,
cosLs, eLc.? Who ls responslble for fallures, ranglng from Lravel delays Lo llfe-LhreaLenlng
mlslnformaLlon?
7.3.3 1he po||t|cs of standards
SLandards are wldely vlewed as crlLlcal, buL oplnlons dlffer over Lhe preferred sLandards.
1hose who seL whaL sLandards wlll have ma[or lmpllcaLlons for Lhe wlnners and losers ln
buslness and lndusLry as well as naLlonal Lechnology-led lndusLrlal pollcles.
7.3.4 keth|nk|ng data protect|on
As dlscussed above, Lhere was a general percepLlon LhaL Lhe daLa proLecLlon acL has noL
worked well ln Lhe presenL dlglLal envlronmenL, and ls noL up Lo Lhe Lask ln Lhe era of Lhe
lo1, whlch wlll operaLe aL an enLlrely new scale of acLlvlLy. WhaL pollcy and lnsLlLuLlonal
changes can be developed Lo cope wlLh Lhe lo1?
7.3.S Contro| of dev|ces
1he developmenL of devlces such as dlglLal companlons, whlch wlll know and learn a greaL
deal abouL Lhelr users, need Lo be governed by rules, or allowed Lo reveal and dlsclose
anyLhlng abouL Lhelr user. An 'anyLhlng goes' sLraLegy mlghL be approprlaLe ln early
experlmenLal phases buL be lnapproprlaLe as Lhe devlces become more ublqulLous and
capable of lncreaslngly sophlsLlcaLed communlcaLlon.
ConLrol of acLuaLors may be [usL as senslLlve as Lhe quesLlon of conLrol of sensors. 1here ls a
Lenslon beLween Lhe goals of securlLy and quallLy conLrol - whlch suggesLs llmlLlng as much
as posslble people's ablllLy Lo lnLerfere wlLh Lhe operaLlon of an acLuaLor - and Lhe goals of

21
lurness, A., 'lnLernaLlonal framework for lo1 sLrucLure and governance', a paper for CASAC8AS2, an Lu lramework 7
ro[ecL, and '1he need for rlsk assessmenL and deslgn meLhodology for supporLlng prlvacy and assoclaLed securlLy ln
8llu sysLems', CASAC8AS ulscusslon uocumenL.
A roadmap for lnLerdlsclpllnary research on Lhe lnLerneL of 1hlngs: Soclal sclences
13
human auLonomy and user-responslve Lechnology, whlch suggesL Lhe opposlLe. lor
example, smarL clLy acLuaLors could become a mechanlsm for clLlzen empowermenL, for
lnfrasLrucLure aLLacks, or for clLlzen dlsempowermenL.
1he lo1 ls llkely Lo shlfL Lhe boundarles beLween consumers and producers ln, for example,
local governmenL servlces. CS sofLware ls lncreaslngly used as a way of lnvolvlng local
people ln Lhe up-keep of Lhelr envlronmenL and maklng Lhem 'acLlve clLlzens' (8llu bln
Lagglng, smarL phone CS apps) or 'prosumers'. As local governmenL servlces are scaled
back, CS ln Lhe lo1 has Lhe poLenLlal Lo open up a world of survelllance of clLlzens,
represenLlng 'survelllance as soclal sorLlng, as a means of managemenL, lnfluence and
governance'.
22

Lxplorlng Lhese lssues of governance and regulaLlon wlll requlre sophlsLlcaLed and deLalled
undersLandlng of Lhe full range of acLors lnvolved ln Lhe lo1. ulscusslons ofLen evoke overly
slmpllsLlc models of Lhe ecology of acLors lnvolved wlLh Lhe deslgn, lmplemenLaLlon and use
of Lhe lo1, such as focuslng on users and provlders, when Lhe ecology ls far more complex.
8esearch on Lhe soclal shaplng of Lhe lo1 needs Lo uncover Lhls complex ecology of Lhe lo1
ln order Lo undersLand how Lo effecL change and enable approprlaLe governance and
regulaLlon.
8 Construct|ng th|s area to enab|e soc|a| and econom|c research
As noLed ln Lhe lnLroducLlon, Lhe workshop vlewed Lhe lo1 as lnherenLly mulLldlsclpllnary,
slnce any appllcaLlon wlll have noL only qulLe Lechnlcal lssues for enabllng sysLems Lo
operaLe, buL also economlc, soclal, legal and eLhlcal aspecLs Lo conslder. A valld concern ls
LhaL soclal research could geL marglnallsed parLlcularly aL a polnL ln Llme LhaL early sysLems
are belng developed - early ln Lhe so-called hype cycle assoclaLed wlLh emerglng
Lechnologles. Soclal research could also geL marglnallsed lf vlable pro[ecLs are noL
lmplemenLed ln real soclal conLexLs, where soclal research can be Lhe mosL valuable.
lor such reasons, Lhe LS8C and oLher 8esearch Counclls need Lo lnvolve sLrong soclal
sclence lnpuL ln Lhe early dlscusslon of how Lo concepLuallse Lhls area of research. 1here ls a
rlsk LhaL early dlscusslons abouL Lhe lo1 wlll be Loo loosely deflned, and noL conslder speclflc
use conLexLs. lf even Lhey are consldered, Lhe conLexLs abouL whlch lnformaLlon ls avallable
aL Lhese early sLages may be qulLe dlfferenL from Lhe uses LhaL wlll arlse as Lhe lo1 becomes
more wldely adopLed. Soclal sclenLlsLs need Lo work wlLh compuLer sclenLlsLs and englneers
Lo help frame sLudles of use conLexLs wlLh Lhe foreslghL necessary Lo make useful
recommendaLlons for lo1 deslgn and developmenL ln pracLlce LhaL are years downsLream.
1hls ralses a flnal lssue around drawlng ln sLrong soclal researchers, glven LhaL Lhls ls an area
LhaL ls seen Lo be hlghly Lechnlcal and Lo noL have lmmedlaLe and obvlous relevance Lo Lhe
soclal and economlc sclences. lL could be useful for 8Cuk Lo develop maLerlal LhaL can help
lllumlnaLe Lhe lo1 and recrulL soclal researchers and economlsLs Lo sLudles of Lhese
emerglng Lechnologles. Soclal and compuLer sclenLlsLs and englneers need Lo help clarlfy
Lhe deflnlLlon and naLure of Lhe lo1 ln ways LhaL wlll sLlmulaLe soclal sclenLlsLs Lo ralse

22
Lyon, u. (2006) 621!72-#-!1$:!%#-!'%,,-#.8!D:+&%+-!'$B*0*,*-.N!,#%+.(%#-+,!,-/2+$0$5*-.!%+&!&*5*,%0!&*./#*'*+%,*$+.,
8ouLledge (p.221).
A roadmap for lnLerdlsclpllnary research on Lhe lnLerneL of 1hlngs: Soclal sclences
16
crlLlcal research quesLlons and develop an approprlaLe research agenda. lnLerneL sLudles ls
one of Lhe mosL burgeonlng flelds ln Lhe soclal sclences, buL lL remalns aL Lhe marglns of
malnsLream dlsclpllnary research.
23
1hls ls llkely Lo be Lhe case for Lhe lo1 wlLhouL a ma[or
push from Lhe boLLom up - Lhe researchers Lhemselves. lL ls crlLlcal LhaL Lhls area ls LargeLed
aL Lhe research communlLy and noL only Lhe research counclls.
8.1 Methodo|og|ca| too|s and approaches
A key lncenLlve for soclal and economlc researchers Lo be lnvolved ln Lhls new area sLems
from Lhe poLenLlal for Lhe lo1 Lo provlde new meLhodologlcal Lools and daLa.
24
1he real-Llme
monlLorlng of soclal llfe ls lncreaslngly posslble, wlLh all Lhe opporLunlLles and rlsk LhaL Lhls
brlngs. new meLhodologles and analyLlcal Lechnlques may be needed Lo mlne Lhls poLenLlal,
such as ln capLurlng and reduclng Lhe large quanLlLles of research daLa LhaL Lhe lo1 could
generaLe ln ways LhaL provlde genulnely new lnslghLs. 1he lo1 ls a new means Lo supporL
soclal sclence research, buL also a new LhreaL Lo prlvacy, lnformed consenL and oLher eLhlcal
lssues for research. ln addlLlon, parLlclpaLory deslgn Lools for co-deslgnlng new lnLerfaces
and servlces wlll requlre greaLer lnLerdlsclpllnary meLhods beLween deslgners and soclal
sclenLlsLs.
9 Summary
Many of Lhe Lechnlcal lssues of sLandards and deslgn of Lhe lo1 are challenglng and wlll
necesslLaLe a focus on Lechnlcal research and developmenL. 8uL lL ls lmporLanL LhaL soclal
sclence perspecLlves are noL overlooked ln Lhe process, because Lhey play a vlLal role ln
ldenLlfylng and challenglng assumpLlons abouL Lhe deslgn, lmplemenLaLlon and lmpacLs of
Lhe lo1. ln parLlcular, some of Lhe soclal and economlc lmpllcaLlons - lnLended and
unlnLended - are poLenLlally huge lssues, such as around prlvacy, LhaL could undermlne
efforLs Lo explolL Lhese developmenLs. Lxamples of Lhe Lenslons, and resulLlng dlverse pollcy
cholces, have been provlded ln Lhls WhlLe aper, buL lL ls clear LhaL Lhe lo1 merlLs more
sysLemaLlc scoplng of Lhe soclal sclence research LhaL could advance Lhe undersLandlng and
developmenL of Lhe lnLerneL of 1hlngs.

23
uuLLon, W. P. (2013) 42-!@A)$#&!2%+&B$$C!$)!*+,-#+-,!.,:&*-., Cxford: Cxford unlverslLy ress.
24
uuLLon, W. P. and !effreys, . W. (2010) 6$#0&! 7*&-! #-.-%#/28! 9-.2%(*+5! ,2-! ./*-+/-.! %+&! 2:'%+*,*-., Cambrldge,
MassachuseLLs: Ml1 ress.