ADT North America will lead a new consumer privacy initiative with a coalition of organizations committed to driving the adoption of privacy standards and best practices across the home security industry there.
The initiative is not before time – we’ve said before in SEN there is an increasing risk that customers may begin to see their connected security and home automation solutions not as trusted allies but as data gathering spies.
Partners in the U.S. initiative currently include the Security Industry Association (SIA), with nearly 900 corporate members, the Monitoring Association and the Electronic Security Association, the largest trade association in the U.S. representing the electronic security and life safety industry, the Internet Society’s Online Trust Alliance and TrustArc.
“Every day millions of our customers trust us with what they love and cherish the most, including their privacy,” said Jim DeVries, president and CEO, ADT. “That is why our privacy practices are purposefully designed to ensure we continue earning their well-placed trust.
“This initiative is part of our ongoing commitment, as the market leader in home security, to implement high standards for our industry, and as we look at the future of technology and access, align our industry around standards and practices that better protect consumers.”
ADT said the initiative will focus on 3 key objectives:
* Adopting a set of industry-wide best practices that are customer-centric and drive transparency.
* Working with dealers, partners and other industry organizations on the enhanced privacy and ethical standards for our industry.
* Developing and implementing programmes focused on privacy, ethics, and transparency.
“The Security Industry Association is pleased to support this important broad-based effort led by ADT to ensure the privacy of consumers,” SIA CEO Don Erickson said. “SIA has taken a leading role on privacy issues through its Data Privacy Advisory Board, and we look forward to working with our partners on this project to demonstrate that members of the industry are as committed to protecting data privacy as they are to securing people and property.”
ADT is soliciting participation from all other organizations who wish to help drive privacy objectives.
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