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

Which households care most about energy efficiency?

A June report by Parks Associates and Resideo Grid Services found that although smart thermostat adoption has doubled in eight years to reach 16% of households with Internet access, only about 20% of...

Broadpeak launches CDN security and anti-piracy solution to secure high-scale video streaming

According to Parks Associates, growing piracy rates mean that content providers are expected to lose a total of over $113 billion to piracy by 2027 in the US alone.  From the Broadpeak press releas...

Households with kids more likely to have smart home devices

In partnership with the Connectivity Standards Alliance (CSA), Parks Associates has released the new white paper, which explores the progress of the smart home, highlighting key milestones, emergi...

Are You Ready for Some Football? These Streaming Stocks Are.

Sports fans are an important asset, as many will subscribe to whatever platforms they need to watch their favorite teams play. According to data collected by market researcher Parks Associates and Int...