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Written question asked by Jo Platt (Labour) on Tuesday, 16 October 2018, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Thursday, 18 October 2018. It was answered by Margot James (Conservative) on Thursday, 18 October 2018 on behalf of the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport.

Internet: Security

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to the Government's press release of 14 October 2018 entitled Leading tech companies support code to strengthen security of internet-connected devices, what steps the Government plans to take against companies that do not abide by the voluntary code of practice.

Answer

The guidelines within the Code of Practice bring together what is widely considered good practice in Internet of Things (IoT) security. As a voluntary document, it provides clarity to industry on the steps that are most important in protecting consumers’ online security and privacy.

We continue to welcome public pledges from manufacturers to implement the Code for their products, with two major companies having already made such a commitment. The Government’s ambition is to achieve the best possible industry uptake of the Code and we will continue to monitor progress in this area. We remain in discussions with a number of manufacturers and are working towards securing additional industry pledges in the future.

The Government has also begun work to place appropriate aspects of the Code on a regulatory footing with further details to be shared in due course.

The UK Government is taking a lead on this issue. To make it easier for manufacturers around the world to implement the Code, we have developed an open data JavaScript Object Notation (JSON) file, available here (https://iotsecuritymapping.uk), and translated the Code into a number of different languages on Gov.uk. We also recently begun the process of developing a global standard through the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) based on our Code of Practice and through this work we expect to achieve greater industry uptake of the guidelines within the Code.

In the coming months Government will be driving forward work to bring more manufacturers on board and has engaged with a number of UK and European manufacturers and industry bodies to highlight the Code of Practice and discuss how each guideline could be embedded within the design of their products.

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
180309
Session
2017-19
Related items
Internet: Security
Monday, 12 November 2018
Written questions
House of Commons
Grouped for answer
Yes
Transferred
Yes
Subjects
Codes of practice Companies Internet Security Technology
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk