NIST Calls Data Privacy "Achilles' Heel" of the Smart Grid
Commerce Secretary Gary Locke today released the draft NIST Framework and Roadmap for Smart Grid Interoperability Standards. The draft highlights privacy as an issue that must be addressed as Smart Grid technologies continue to be implemented. Key points from the report include:
- “The major benefit provided by the Smart Grid, i.e. the ability to get richer data to and from customer meters and other electric devices, is also its Achilles’ heel from a privacy viewpoint. Privacy advocates have raised serious concerns about the type and amount of billing and usage information flowing through the various entities of the Smart Grid…that could provide a detailed time-line of activities occurring inside the home.”
- “There is a lack of consistent and comprehensive privacy policies, standards, and supporting procedures throughout the states, government agencies, utility companies, and supporting entities that will be involved with Smart Grid management and information collection and use which creates a very significant privacy risk that must be addressed.”
- “Future research is necessary to keep up with the multitude of use cases of the various technologies and business processes created for the Smart Grid. Legal and regulatory frameworks can be further harmonized and updated as the Smart Grid becomes more pervasive.”
The Future of Privacy Forum is assembling a working group of companies, advocates, and academics who want to ensure that new data collected will empower users as it enables the technologies of the grid. It has been heartening to hear companies committing to consumer control during GridWeek presentations in Washington, but lessons from other areas of consumer data collection make it clear that communicating with consumers about data use is not easy. Now, before billions are spent to roll out new types of data collection, is the time to begin the needed research to understand the privacy expectations that consumers will have for the grid of the future.
