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

What do people who don’t have smart home products want from them? Savings

Smart home devices are basically everywhere now, but some people are still holding out on inviting internet-connected appliances into their home. So what would finally get them to adopt the Internet o...

Parks: Cord-cutting Up

Cord-cutter consumer research from Parks Associates shows the percentage of US broadband households that use only antennas to receive TV has steadily increased since 2013 to reach 15 per cent. The fir...

19% US Households Cancel OTT

According to market research firm Parks Associates’ OTT Video Market Tracker service, the churn rate for OTT video services is 19 per cent of US broadband households, indicating roughly one in five ho...

Research: 68% US homes watch NFL

The latest update of Parks Associates’ OTT Video Market Tracker analyses the launch of NFL+, the OTT subscription service operated by the NFL in the US and the market context for the service, as part...

‹
1
2
...
459
460
461
462
463
464
465
...
745
746
›