Since 1894, Underwriters Laboratories (UL) have been providing safety certification for products, especially those with electrical cords. On April 5, 2016, they announced that they’re extending their reach to cybersecurity. UL will test and certify products that are increasingly becoming elements of the Internet of Things.
Steve Case‘s book “The Third Wave,” coincidentally also published on April 5th, is right on point:
“The Third Wave is the era when the Internet stops belonging to Internet companies. It is the era in which products will require the Internet, even if the Internet doesn’t define them. It is the era when the term ‘Internet-enabled’ will start to sound as ludicrous as the term ‘electricity-enabled,’ as if either were notable differentiators.”