Consumer privacy concerns could hinder the growth of the Internet of Things (IoT) market. Research findings in the U.S. and Great Britain reveal that 59% of U.S. and 47% of British internet users know that smart devices, such as smart TVs, fitness devices, and in-car navigation systems, can collect data about their personal activities.
A Gartner study recently predicted that there would be 26 billion connected devices by 2020. Still, our latest research shows consumers want more information and controls before purchasing or using a smart device.
Consumers Want More Information and Controls on IoT and Smart Devices
When asked, 85% of U.S. internet users, compared with 83% of British users, would want to understand more about data being collected before using smart devices.
Additionally, 88% of U.S. and 87% of British internet users want to control the data collected through smart devices.
83% of U.S. internet users and 84% of British internet users were concerned about the idea of information collected through smart devices, and 87% of U.S. internet users, compared with 84% of British internet users, are concerned about the type of information collected by smart devices.
Benefits of IoT Don’t Outweigh Concerns
Despite the promise of the Internet of Things to offer consumers, and society in general, huge benefits, including connecting cars, appliances and mobile devices to deliver convenience and personalized services, they are still concerned about their privacy risks.
Only 22% of U.S. internet users and 18% of British internet users felt that the benefits of smart devices outweighed any privacy concerns. Privacy concerns could be a barrier to growth, impacting business opportunities that stem from the IoT landscape such as delivering personalized, value-added services.
It’s clear that the IoT is changing the privacy landscape and relationship that consumers have with technology and their data. For IoT providers, its necessary to consider this consumer privacy concerns and implement privacy by design guidelines into the development of IoT products and services.
