National Institute of Standards and Technology Director Dr. Laurie Locascio, the Under Secretary of Commerce for Standards & Technology, opened a CES discussion on the U.S. Cyber Trust Mark for certification of IoT devices by highlighting “how government and industry can work together to make IoT devices safe and secure — and drive U.S. innovation and productiveness.” “We believe in the power of partnership,” she noted, listing the Consumer Technology Association as an important partner along with academia and consumers in “fostering an environment that enables innovation.” She said this work led to the FCC’s proposal for a Cyber Mark Trust labeling program.

CTA Vice President of Regulatory Affairs David Grossman noted that the panelists represented a range of Cyber Mark Trust stakeholders: Consumer Reports Policy Fellow Stacey Higginbotham, Samsung Electronics SVP of Public Policy John Godfrey, LG Electronics Senior Director of Government Affairs Jim Morgan, and Amazon Senior Manager of Public Policy Erica McCann. They were all united in their enthusiasm for the program.

“We’d like consumers to be better off as a result of the program,” explained Godfrey. “Its strength is that it’s a private-public partnership, where government, industry and civil society work together for a cooperative program.”

Morgan added that the “wind-up” to the Cyber Trust Mark has been between six and seven years. “We’re excited to get the program moving,” he said.

Higginbotham pointed out the need for consumer education. “We want consumers to buy better products without having to become cybersecurity experts — and we want to help educate them,” she said. Godfrey agreed that “the key is consumer awareness.”

“We’re trying to educate our consumers and other partners and brands connected to the SmartThings app,” he said. “With the Trust Mark, it will mean it has the backing of the U.S. government, similar to Energy Star products.”

As a voluntary program, Higginbotham reports that the manufacturers she’s spoken with are eager to “have a bar to work to.” “It gives the good actors something to show consumers,” she said, adding that Consumer Reports is pulling the data to use as a baseline for reviewing new products and a consumer education tool.

McCann pointed out that, because it is voluntary, there “needs to be an incentive for manufacturers to do the work to certify to these standards.”

NIST plays the role of “global harmonization” of cybersecurity standards of IoT devices, Grossman said, unlike the legal regulations found in the EU, UK and Singapore among other areas. “It’s useful for technology standards to be harmonized worldwide,” suggested Godfrey. “But we don’t need to adopt a regularly program because Europe has adopted one. I think this volunteer program will create more partnership and innovation.”