ST PETERSBURG, Russia/
PRNewswire/ ----Ulmart, Russia's leading online retailer, plans to tackle the moral and legal issues surrounding the Internet of Things (IoT) at the dedicated session "The Internet of Things: Overcoming Obstacles" to be held at the upcoming St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) on June 1, 2017.
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Invited by Rosсongress Foundation, Ulmart decided to take the lead on one of the hottest issues in tech today. Moderated by Mike Butcher, Editor-at-Large of TechCrunch, the session will challenge the panel of international and Russian experts to weigh in on this latest consumer revolution. The panellists will debate on whether manufacturers, retailers and governments should be responsible for sparing citizens from constantly being followed, monitored and analyzed solely to increase profit, as well as addressing other important aspects of IoT.
Currently, GPS locators and many smartphone applications require the user to 'agree' to be linked in.
It is estimated that by 2025 one trillion products will be "communicating" with each other. As a result, a figurative matrix will surround consumers 24/7 and they will not even know that they are at the center of the virtual conversation.
"As a retailer striving each day to use big data to increase sales, I realize just how easy it may be to abuse the growing network of interconnected products that surround us in every facet of our lives," remarked Dmitry Kostygin, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Ulmart.
"Imagine every day 'speaking' to hundreds of products, 'telling' them: "Yes, pillow, no, socks, behave yourself refrigerator," commented Brian Kean, Ulmart's Chief International Officer. "None of us has time for the daily oversight of the 'conversation' with products but unscrupulous companies could abuse this trust. As the first online retailer to pose the question of morality and suggest that perhaps retailers and other market participants should protect consumers from the downsides of IoT, Ulmart again proves that its priority is customer satisfaction and customer interests."
The session will take place on June 1, 2017 at 3pm at Congress Centre, Conference Hall D3.
About ULMART
Ulmart is Russia's largest privately held Internet company specializing in e-commerce. The company was founded in 2008, and its headquarters are located in St. Petersburg. Ulmart has over 450 infrastructure facilities (fulfilment centres and pick-up points) in more than 240 cities and towns across Russia.
http://www.ulmart.ru
Contact: Brian Kean, Chief International Officer, +7-812-336-37-77 ext. 4575.
SOURCE Ulmart