Ideas for a Trust Indicator in the Internet of Things

The Internet of Things will connect many different devices. In order to realise this, users must be willing to trust the devices and communication that happens automatically. We explore the different meanings of trust and strategies that can be used to determine if something is trustworthy and propose a model for trust that takes into account people, devices, and their connections. The model uses à priori and à posteriori trust to give an indication of how much a user can trust or distrust the information provided by things. This trust indicator can inform users’ decisions on whether or not to use a device or service.