Janna Anderson's talk at Internet Summit covered by USA Today

Professor Janna Quitney Anderson, Elon University School of Communications[/caption]Janna Quitney Anderson, professor of communications and director of Elon’s Imagining the Internet Center was featured in USA Today coverage of the Internet of Things Privacy Summit, held July 10, 2014, in Palo Alto, Calif. She was among the speakers at the conference who discussed the tension between corporate efficiency, the proliferation of Internet-connected devices and the potential loss of personal privacy. The event was the first Silicon Valley meeting focused on these issues, and was organized by data privacy firm TRUSTe.

Anderson discussed research she has done in partnership with the Pew Research Internet & American Life Project. A report released in May was co-authored by Anderson and Lee Rainie P’03 of the Pew Internet project and a member of Elon’s School of Communications Advisory Board. It focused on the impact of the Internet of Things, which is a term used to describe the billions of devices that are embedded in myriad objects and connected to the Internet.

Speaking at the summit, Anderson said, “The question we need to ask (about the Internet of Things) is will it just be a cash-generating marketing tool and a spying device? I hope not. But I think it will take a very purposeful effort to recognize that our civil rights are paramount.”

Read the full USA Today story at http://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2014/07/10/internet-of-things-privacy-summit/12496613/