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

Multifamily Properties Are Seeing Greater ROI From Smart Tech

Multifamily companies that deploy smart thermostats in common areas of their properties report energy cost savings of 18% to 20% annually and 20% to 30% reduction in energy use, according to a new whi...

Which Smart TV Operating Systems are the Most Popular?

The data is relatively similar to U.S. data from consumer technology market research firm Parks Associates, which also found Samsung in the lead for the U.S. market, but at a much higher rate of 35%....

Emergency Safety Tech Moves Beyond The Elderly

In a surprising statistic from new Parks Associates research on connected health, 40% of 18- to 24-year-olds report using a device or app that automatically calls for help in case of an emergency -- c...

Fixed wireless continues to climb US broadband charts - Parks

Parks Associates Research Director Kristen Hanich said FWA and satellite internet are the "fastest growing" segments in broadband. According to Parks Associates’ newly launched Broadband Market Tra...

‹
1
2
...
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
...
730
731
›