Providing Market Intelligence for 40 Years

In The News

One nation, on camera: Internet-connected doorbells promise security but raise privacy alarms

Once a futuristic luxury, internet-connected home cameras have become reasonably common — and relatively cheap. Around 33 million American households — 27% — now use the cameras, according to an estimate from Parks Associates, a consumer technology market research firm.

For consumers, the benefit is clear: Constant or near-constant surveillance that can catch burglars in the act and provide clarity on anything that happens outside their homes. But with these systems almost always relying on cloud-based storage and analysis, many technologists have noted that they are ripe for abuse, particularly as they become more complicated and attached to increasingly advanced analysis systems.

In Guthrie’s case, it appears that even without the requisite subscription plan to have the Nest camera fully operational, it did record and transmit video of someone coming to her door the morning of her disappearance.

From the article, "One nation, on camera: Internet-connected doorbells promise security but raise privacy alarms" by Kevin Collier

Previously In The News

Sharing your TV streaming passwords? Cable companies won’t stop you—yet

Neither of these methods work particularly well, at least for the kind of casual sharing that’s pervasive among friends and family members. A survey earlier this year by Parks Associates found that 18...

Deeper Dive—Who would buy DirecTV?

Although DirecTV is losing subscribers at a rapid pace, it’s not exactly a lost cause. Brett Sappington, senior research director and principal analyst at Parks Associates, said the satellite operator...

Subscriptions account for nearly 86% of consumer video spending

According to new research from Parks Associates, subscriptions now account for nearly 86% of total spending, up from about 50% of total online video spending in 2012. This percentage is likely to tren...

Walmart seeks to unload Vudu: report

Brett Sappington, senior research director and principal analyst at Parks Associates, added that the transactional market for video, Vudu’s core business, has begun eroding as movie studios no longer...