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

Streaming TV Industry Snooping on Viewers at Grand Scale: Report

“A major pain point with ad-based streaming is when the ad repeats too many times or viewers seeing ads they don’t feel are relevant to them,” explained Sarah Lee, a research analyst with Parks Associ...

Amazon revamps Ring subscriptions with AI video search

Ring is now the second-largest seller of security systems in the U.S., according to research firm Parks Associates, and it recently became profitable, Hamren told Bloomberg in May — six years after Am...

4 Tips To Make Your PS4 Download Faster

In fact, Parks Associates reported that 18% of American dwellings have at least more than half a dozen smart home devices in 2024. From the article, "4 Tips To Make Your PS4 Download Faster" by Qui...

Parks: 42% of U.S. Internet Households Used Free Ad-Based Streaming Video Service in Past 30 days

New data from Parks Associates found that the use of free ad-based streaming video services is on the rise, with the number of U.S. internet households that used one of these services in the past 30 d...