Providing Market Intelligence for 40 Years

In The News

Survey: Consumers Prefer Keeping Wearable Device Data from Insurers

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

A ‘move-in-ready' house now means smart home devices are inside

For a home or apartments to be move-in-ready today, smart devices of all kinds need to be part of the space for 25 percent of U.S. broadband customers, according to new research from Parks Associates....

Do YOU give your Netflix password to friends? AI that can track down users who illegally share accounts is unveiled

Synamedia’s new AI isn’t just for small-time fee avoiders. Additional research from Parks Associates found that by 2021, credentials sharing will account for $9.9 billion of losses in pay-TV revenu...

Summer vacation’s coming, is your home prepared to be left alone?

The majority of U.S. households with broadband connections believe a device that would notify them about smoke and fire alarms is "highly appealing," according to research firm Parks Associates, which...

YouTube Premium No Longer Among Top 10 Streaming Services in the US

The Parks Associates — a market research and consulting company — released an updated version of its top 10 subscription over-the-top (OTT) video services in the U.S. market Wednesday morning. And...