Providing market intelligence for more than 35 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

Broadband Forum celebrates 20 years of revolutionary device management standard

“Demand and purchase intentions continue to grow for advanced devices such as doorbells, door locks, and networked cameras but this is creating a complex and challenging consumer home network,” said E...

Research: Prime Video lowest US SVoD churn rate

Research firm Parks Associates’ most recent churn data, from its quarterly consumer survey of 8,000 US Internet households, shows that Prime Video has the lowest churn rate at 8 per cent, while stream...

Parks: Prime Video Has Lowest Churn Rate

Consumers who subscribe to streaming services are the least likely to cancel Prime Video among all major providers, according to Parks Associates’ Streaming Video Tracker, which found that Prime’s so-...

Tackling Modern Tech Challenges With Key and Asset Management

In a Parks Associates survey, at least 70% of property managers and owners said they’re interested in smart locks in some capacity.  From the National Apartment Association article, "Tackling Moder...