Luca Belli

The Need for a RIoT (Responsible Internet of Things): A Human Rights Perspective on IoT Systems

The Internet of Things (IoT) is heralded by its propo-nents as a true propellant of the next industrial revolu-tion, able to generate considerable gains in efficiency and prompt growth “at an astronomical rate”. The concept of IoT is quite flexible and can be broadly defined as a network linking uniquely identified physical objects together with electronic networks and software applications en-abling data collection, communication and processing.


The purpose of this chapter is, therefore, to briefly investigate what technological evolutions are driving – and being enabled by – the IoT, what could be the impact of the IoT on individuals’ fundamental rights and what elements could allow public and private stakeholder to comply with the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs), by building RIoT systems. In this perspective, this paper will be structured in three sections. The first section will analyse the IoT phenomenon, stressing the intimate link between the IoT and the Big Data and Artificial Intelligence phenomena. The second section will briefly scrutinise the impact that the aforementioned phenomena may have on the full enjoyment of fundamental rights, providing some concrete examples. The concluding section will provide some suggestions on how tech-businesses developing connected objects can implement the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs), effectively.

Belli L. (2019). The Need for a RIoT (Responsible Internet of Things): A Human Rights Perspective on IoT Systems. in Mullen M. et al. Navigating a New Era in Business and Human Rights. Institute of Human Rights and Peace Studies.

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