The United Kingdom's Emerging Internet of Things (IoT) Policy Landscape

Abstract

The chapter examines the institutional landscape that underpins the Internet of Things (IoT) in the UK, and reviews the government strategies and policies within which the IoT is developing. The rapid evolution of technology means that this review represents a synoptic snapshot: it identifies core challenges connected to the evolving interdependent ecosystem, and provides a recommendation for more adaptive policymaking in this space. The chapter extracts some general principles and lessons that can be applied more widely to the development of emerging technologies, including the use of forward‐thinking and monitoring policy tools in order to respond to new conditions and potential market failures. It does so through assessment of the IoT's inherent risks and uncertainties, the fragmentation of the UK’s institutional and policy landscape, and the IoT's respective governance challenges. The chapter concludes with future directions for researchers, practitioners, and policymakers, as well as an appeal to apply adaptive policymaking to the management of rapidly evolving IoT technologies.

Keywords: Internet of Things, IoT, UK, Policy, Governance