Internet of things and privacy

Today the Internet of Things (IoT) empowers our lives, simplifying interaction and services in many fields including smart homes and cities, telemedicine and healthcare, transportation, security and social life. In many IoT applications, personal data are automatically collected and stored in cloud systems, processed and used for purposes such as creating user profiles, monitoring health, personalized advertising and more. The main cost of this process involves data that are collected by providers and organizations. This paper discusses important privacy and security issues raised by the main IoT devices, specifically considering the obligations imposed by the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) on the organizations collecting data relating to people in the European Union.