It is a first.
A data transmitting pill was just approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
And it raises questions about cybersecurity and privacy in the Internet of Medical Things, or IoMT.
This type of device is known as an "ingestible." The Privacy Professor, Rebecca Herold, told 2017 SecureWord attendees this type of IoT device was coming soon. She was right and here it is.
So how does the pill transmit when you take it? NPR describes it nicely:
"The tiny sensor, made by a company called Proteus, is about the size of a grain of sand. It's activated when it comes into contact with fluid in the stomach. The sensor detects and records the date and time the pill is ingested.
The sensor transmits that information to a patch worn by the patient. The patch then sends the data to a smartphone application; the data can then be shared with selected family members or caregivers."
We'll let them take it from here.
