Glossary
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Due to the Data (Use and Access) Act coming into law on 19 June 2025, this guidance is under review and may be subject to change. The Plans for new and updated guidance page will tell you about which guidance will be updated and when this will happen.
Application programming interface (API): A computing interface that defines interactions between multiple software intermediaries.
Application (app) developer: A provider specialising in creating and/or maintaining software applications for mobile devices or IoT products, external to the IoT manufacturer.
App store: A distribution platform making available mobile apps, including accompanying apps for IoT products.
App store provider: Organisations responsible for operating the app store with the capability to add and remove apps and make decisions about entry requirements for the app store.
Automatic content recognition (ACR): A type of storage and access technology that periodically captures content that a device displays (eg a smart TV) and matches it against a content library. ACR can be used for different purposes, from identifying the content the user selects to collecting information about their viewing habits (eg for advertising).
Consumer IoT: Products incorporating sensors and different types of connectivity, including the internet, which enable the products to process information, available to people through retail purchase on the consumer market.
Cloud provider: Providers of cloud computing resources (including storage, processing and software) on demand, via a network.
Infrastructure as a service (IaaS): A cloud service model offering access to the raw computing resources of a cloud service.
IoT manufacturer: An organisation with the overall responsibility for the creation and functioning of the IoT product, which may include hardware and/or software creation, then bringing the IoT product to market.
IoT platform: Infrastructure that enables the deployment, management and operation of IoT products through the provision of cloud computing services.
IoT operating system provider: A provider of a software platform designed to manage and coordinate the functions of IoT products, enabling products to connect to the internet, communicate with each other and process data.
Software development kit (SDK): A set of tools used for developing applications provided by hardware and software providers. They usually include application programming interfaces (APIs), sample code and documentation.
SDK provider: An external organisation to the IoT manufacturer, which provides an SDK.
Telemetry: In IoT, telemetry can refer to the processing of information from IoT products for purposes like analysis and remote monitoring.
User: A user (data subject) of an IoT product whose personal information is processed by an IoT manufacturer or other third parties. The user may be, but doesn’t have to be, the owner of the IoT product.