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

Alert! Will the Cable Eco-System Begin To Crash Tomorrow?

And, oh yeah, there are already quite a number of STBs that allow for streaming content that includes programming from so-called broadcast and cable networks as well as the major streaming services su...

More Bad News for Traditional Pay TV

Just when you thought things could not get worse for pay TV… This week Parks Associates published a new survey that showed the number of dissatisfied cable TV subscribers has doubled in just a few...

Wait For New Episodes Online Might Get Longer

The changes are especially noticeable at Hulu, which is owned by parents of the very television networks - Fox, ABC and NBC - threatened by changes in the way we watch TV. Hulu has set itself apart by...

Startup Talk: AT&T Joins Verizon With Announcement Of 5G Network Roadmap, Speeds 100x Faster

Dallas-based marketing research firm Parks Associates has released new mobile research showing 86% of U.S. broadband households now own a smartphone. The smartphone markets in European nations, like i...

‹
1
2
...
167
168
169
170
171
172
173
...
732
733
›