Securing the Internet of Things (IoT) Data Ownership

As the commercial use of IoT (Internet of Things) technology keeps spreading rapidly, so does the involvement of individuals as data sources. Thus, it is crucial to understand the nature and implications of data property factors in the IoT context to enable organisations to apply ethically sustainable practices when defining data ownership. The study is based on Richard O. Mason's PAPA framework from 1986, in which the question of intellectual property rights is described as one of the most complex issues we face as a society. Based on our findings, this statement still applies in modern IoT ecosystems. In this paper, the ownership and control of information is clarified on conceptual and practical levels. We investigate the topic from the following three perspectives: 1) organisational level, 2) technical level, and 3) ethical ownership. Furthermore, we offer development proposals for the current IoT protocols, aiming to support defining data ownership.