Wearable technology is a blanket term for electronic accessories that can be worn on the body; this includes, but is not limited to, watches, earpieces, headsets, smartpatches and smartglasses. The ability to receive data via sensors and send data via the internet has pushed wearable technology to the forefront of IoT.

In the near future, wearables will be as ubiquitous as mobile phones. CCS insight predicts that the wearable industry will be worth $25 billion by 2019 – so concerns about their safety and security are bound to arise.

For example, a 2017 study conducted by the Center for Digital Democracy found that the “weak and fragmented” health privacy regulatory system in the U.S. fails to give consumers the strict protection they may expect. It is paramount that the wealth of personal data collected by wearables and other IoT devices is protected.

 

The future of data protection

One of the ways to increase security around data collected from wearable devices is to use distributed ledger technology – also known as blockchain technology – and smart contracts to create a hyper-secure layer for the management of multiple devices. Using this technology eliminates a single point of failure, such as a cloud or server, where malicious entities might gain access. It also gives the transparency and clarity needed to give consumers peace of mind when it comes to their personal data.