Research finds privacy concerns put US consumers off buying smart home products

Parks Associates are a group that have released a new whitepaper on the effect of security on the market for smart home devices and services. It is based on research that has reportedly found that 63% of all US households find the concept of data privacy and protection a cause for concern. 71% of this group with broadband also responded to the same effect, whereas 40% feel that corporations will not safeguard their data adequately.

The paper also asserts that 52% of these households are not willing to buy smart-home products; of these, 25% specified their issues around cybersecurity as the main reason for this. Then again, approximately 60% do not do so as they simply see no need for connected or home-automating gadgets in their lives. In general, the whitepaper indicates that consumers are increasingly familiar with the threats to their personal data out there.

The analyst group recommended that companies in the smart-home market address these issues through increased overt regard for user data and privacy. This may be done through more granular controls over the same, or through limiting the amount of information stored on each individual device in a given residential network. In addition, clearer and more patent opt-ins may help boost these products' acceptability in the future.