What role should the government play in developing the internet of things?

More devices than ever before are tracking and recording us but how much they can monitor remains unclear

The former Microsoft executive Suzan DelBene is something of an outlier among her current professional colleagues when it comes to tech savvy. She's doing what she can, though, to help educate her peers about the so-called internet of things device class that includes products such as the Microsoft Band she wears to work. Indeed, it's one reason that DelBene - a US Rep. for Washington's First Congressional District - co-founded Congress' internet of things caucus this year.

They may not be fluent in the language associated with wearable technology. Even so, DelBane's congressional peers, many of whom don't wear or use such devices, are nevertheless in an influential position when it comes to the internet of things, a booming category that technology giant Cisco has said could represent a market opportunity of as much as $19 trillion.