Public Forum Case Outline: Affirmative (Pro)

Writing the Constructive

Opening: We affirm the resolution which states: Resolved: On balance, the benefits of the Internet of
Things outweigh the harms of decreased personal privacy. PwC, a technology news outlet says, “[The]
Internet of Things is transforming the everyday physical objects that surround us into an ecosystem of
information that will enrich our lives. From refrigerators to parking spaces to houses, the Internet of
Things is bringing more and more things into the digital fold every day.” With all of the potential for good
the Internet of Things provides, we feel that the benefits outweigh the possible negatives.

I affirm the resolution which states On balance, the benefits of the Internet of Things outweigh the
harms of decreased personal privacy.
_______________________________________________________________________

Definitions: Define any concepts or terms needing clarification from the resolved.
The Internet of Things is defined as a network of everyday devices, appliances, and other objects
equipped with computer chips and sensors that can collect and transmit data through the Internet.

1. Main Argument One: Medical Uses

a. (Sub point A) Point: Internet of Things technology is already saving lives with
features such as live symptom tracking.
i. Evidence: According to the US National Institute of Health,”Wearables and
mobile apps today support fitness, health education, symptom tracking,
collaborative disease management and care coordination.”
ii. Explanation (it’s the “So What”): Wearable technology such as smartwatches
or even inhalers and insulin pens can collect information for a more personalized
therapy. Medical information collected by these technologies can be sent to
doctors so that they can document health trends and determine the best course
of action for an individual patient’s needs.
b. (Sub point B) Point: The Internet of Things is connecting more doctors and patients
than ever through telemedicine.
i. Evidence: According to the Mayo Clinic, a cancer research facility, the Internet
of Things can be defined as, “Robotic surgery, or robot-assisted surgery, allows
doctors to perform many types of complex procedures with more precision,
flexibility and control than is possible with conventional techniques.”
ii. Explanation (it’s the “So What”): This allows doctors to be more effective while
doing surgery and. Doctors can also be connected with patients from around the
world through robots, with the help of the Internet of Things.
2. Main Argument Two: Security
a. (Sub point A) Point: The Internet of Things is helping to prevent crime and increase
security around the world.
i. Evidence One research paper about South Africa’s use of the Internet of Things
states: “The use of information and communications technologies (ICTs) is
capital in facilitating the process to finding solutions to crime. [It] is about taking
advantage of a particular subset of ICTs that is referred to as the internet of
things (IoT) and is integrated with biometric technologies in the fight against
crime.”
ii. Explanation The IoT makes it so crime is being reduced thanks to digital
cameras that can connect to the Internet. For example, the amazon cloud cam is
only 120 dollars and makes security more attainable to the average person. You
are also able to access live video from the security cameras at your house from
anywhere, as the cameras are connected to the Internet through encryption.
Biometric technology, a term for body measurements and calculations, may be
used to identify criminals, even if they are wearing disguise.
 b. (Sub point B) Point: The Internet of Things helps to connect cars and make the road
a safer place.
i. Evidence Elon Musk the CEO of Tesla has said that the electric car giant plans
to create solar roofs with integrated battery storage, create self-driving car
technology that is "ten times safer" than manual driving, and implement car
sharing.
ii. Explanation This shows that the Internet of Things can make driving, which is
normally one of the most dangerous activities in the country, 10 times safer
which will save many lives from tragic car crashes. IBM produced a video about
how the Internet of Things works, and included an example of how cars can be
made safer. Chips embedded in cars can scan diagnostics and provide specific
information about any problems with your car. They can even let you contact a
car repair shop so that they can have parts ready as you arrive. This would help
to prevent unsafe or broken cars from occupying roads and becoming a potential
hazard to other drivers.
3. Main Argument Three: Encryption
a. (Sub point A) Point: Personal data is currently protected from hackers online through
encryption techniques.
i. Evidence According to Forbes, encrypting data at rest and in transit between
IoT edge devices and back-end systems using standard cryptographic
algorithms, helping maintain data integrity and preventing data sniffing by
hackers.
ii. Explanation With the use of data encryption, hackers won’t be able to access
personal information from your smart devices. Data such as medical information
being transmitted over the Internet of Things will be secured with a complicated
PIN. According to Privacy Rights Clearinghouse, a nonprofit dedicated to
protecting personal privacy, there were only 223 publicly reported data breaches
on the Internet in 2015. Encryption techniques are already being applied to the
Internet of Things, securing the public’s data.
b. (Sub point B) Point: There are many methods that companies and people are trying
in order to secure the Internet of Things.
i. Evidence Cisco is protecting privacy of both devices and sensitive information
online. Identity management in the IoT may offer new opportunities to increase
security by combining diverse authentication methods for humans and machines.
For example, bio-identification (identifying a user by facial recognition or other
features) combined with an object within the personal network could be used to
open a door. According to the Global State of Information Security Survey in
2016, 69% of business executives said that they were taking advantage of cloud-
based security services to bolster their own security.
ii. Explanation By using these various methods that are already being
implemented in some places, the IoT is becoming more and more secure
everyday meaning the threat of a hacker taking your personal information is
decreasing due to the various encryption software being put in place and
developed. With cloud-based security services and encryption of data, your
information will be secure when transmitted over the Internet of Things.
_____________________________________________________________________

Closing Statement:
My partner and I believe that the Internet of Things, despite the negatives such as loss of privacy, is still
beneficial to people, as it has the ability to save, protect, and secure lives. Therefore, we affirm the
resolution that the benefits of the Internet of Things outweigh the negatives.
Counter-Points
● All the mundane work can be transferred to Robots and there is potential to loss
of jobs, but if any jobs are taken by robots, then there will be more jobs created
involving the creation , coding, and maintaining of the robots.
● Failures in software or hardware could have disastrous consequences, but in an
increasingly complicated world, we will have more complicated methods of
communication, and the Internet of things could report on the error and try to fix
it.
● The Internet of Things will decrease human interaction, but the IoT works to
connect more people than ever.
● Your sensitive data could be accessed by hackers, but the data can be encrypted
and only accessed if you have the PIN.
● Different IoT technologies will have a hard time communicating with each other,
but as the IoT industry grows, more compatibility software and standards will be
put in place for easier communication. As the IoT industry continues to innovate,
there will be innovation in ways to deal with problems surrounding it.
● 16.5 million exposed records, lots of data breaches
●
DISCUSSION
● Free antivirus or firewall programs can be installed on fitbit to prevent hackers
and information from being leaked.
● The FDA is already issuing guidelines and security standards to protect medical
devices and surgery robots. puts less trauma on the body, minimal scarring, and
faster recovery time. The FDA also outlined methods of cyber security when
dealing with medical iot devices.
●