The rather unclear data protection for IoT scenarios, networked production and smart supply chains has been a real market barrier for manufacturers and system providers to date. For example, the issue of liability in case of (consequential) damages is still largely unresolved. To counteract this problem, TÜV Rheinland offers new certificates that are intended to overcome the relevant concerns of users and providers.

In doing so, TÜV explicitly refers to the EU-GDPR , which must be implemented by May 25, 2018 and also affects a large number of companies that are often unaware of the consequences: in the last Risk:Value report, only 40% of company representatives surveyed felt that they were affected by the General Data Protection Regulation. According to NTT Security, this is "most likely a mistake".

As part of the "Protected Privacy IoT Product" certificate, TÜV Rheinland thoroughly tests the product for compliance with data protection requirements. The global Competence Center IoT Privacy offers individualized support for all topics related to Protected Privacy.