I sent them the following e-mail:
Hello,
I recently discovered your Code of Practice for Consumer IoT Security. After reading through the entire PDF, I'd like to commend you. It's a great document, and a great initiative - nicely striding the line of being specific enough to make a difference, while not constraining manufacturers and service providers too much in technology and business model choices. It's great that such a good document is taking lead on this issue.
That said, I'd like to strongly object to the point 7, "Ensure software integrity", in its current form. I strongly believe this would have a negative impact on both consumers and IoT security.
As a tinkerer (or "maker") and a leader in a community of tinkerers, I value the right and ability to flash alternative software on devices I own; software both made by myself and sourced from the world of Free/Open Source developers. It's what enables people like me to derive more value from our purchases, to innovate by experimenting with them, and most importantly - to help our families, friends and random strangers with less interest in technological minutea to derive more value from their own devices, including extending their usable lifetime way past the end of manufacturer's support.
Secure boot would prevent all of that, by removing the ability of end-users to modify software on devices they own. This goes against both the interests of end-users, IoT security and society at large for many reasons, including the following:
- Software provided on IoT devices is typically closed-source. Homegrown/community software is almost universally open-source, which means many more skilled professionals took a look at the code to ensure it is secure against attacks and does not secretly siphon off data, personal or otherwise.
- The ability to flash your own software means the IoT device lifetime is no longer determined by the lifetime of its manufacturers. When the original vendor decides to EOL the device, the community of users can still continue to provide timely security updates and feature improvements.
- Extending the lifetime of devices through the ability to install custom software also means the devices take longer before they end up on a landfill, thus reducing their environmental impact.
I kindly ask you to please reconsider the point 7 of your document. While its intentions are noble, its particular form is, in my opinion, counterproductive to the overall goals of the document. Please help create a future in which companies minding their users' interests can thrive, in symbiosis with a healthy community of tinkerers.
Regards, Jacek Złydach