Register

I agree with the Privacy Policy

In The News

Survey: Consumers Prefer Keeping Wearable Device Data from Insurers

August 17, 2015

remote health monitoring

connected health devices

fitness tracker

According to research firm Parks Associates, the majority of those surveyed indicated that they are not willing to share data collected from wearable devices, even if it meant receiving a discount on their health insurance premiums. In spite of this reluctance, these same consumers were willing to share data for the purpose of troubleshooting the devices themselves.

The results of the survey varied significantly by device. Forty-two percent of digital pedometer owners were willing to share data in order to receive a health insurance discount; for smartwatch owners the total was 35 percent; and for sleep-quality monitor owners it was 26 percent. Nevertheless, a solid majority of device owners was not willing to share data.

Consumers are justified in their concerns about health data privacy. The Los Angeles Times told in July of a security breach in October 2014 where hackers compromised UCLA Health Systems’ computer network, putting 4.5 million patients’ sensitive data at risk. What was troubling about the incident was that it took nearly seven months from the time suspicious activity was discovered in October, to May 5, which is when investigators determined the system was hacked. Additionally troubling was that the data was not even encrypted.

From the article "Survey: Consumers Prefer Keeping Wearable Device Data from Insurers" by Christopher Mohr.

Previously In The News

DirecTV Wants To Be The Next Online Substitute For Cable

And plenty of people never signed up for a $100 TV bundle to begin with. Research firm SNL Kagan estimates that about 14.4 million households pay for internet but not TV. AT&T sees the potential marke...

Mobile Payments And IoT Trends For Smartwatches

Internet of things, monitoring for insurance and mobile wallet expansion are three of the key emerging smartwatch app trends found in research by Parks Associates. Leading Smart Watch Apps: Insights i...

Study: 82% of US Broadband Households Subscribe to at Least One OTT Service

The margins between households who subscribe to traditional TV and those opting to cut the cord continue to widen, according to new research from Parks Associates. The number of households adopting st...

Autonomous Cars Could Bring $20 Billion to Hollywood

The consumer demand for mobile streaming isn’t lacking either. Among U.S. households, more than half want their next car to offer Wi-Fi, according to Jennifer Kent, connected car analyst for Parks Ass...

‹
1
2
...
160
161
162
163
164
165
166
...
732
733
›