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

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...

Roku IPO a Success, Despite Gaining Little Revenue From YouTube or Netflix

Amazon, for example, is able to sell its own TV streaming products as well as market and promote those products more prominently on its official website. But user trends favor the company’s services....

Research: 97% smart speaker homes own one device brand

Research from Parks Associates finds smart speakers inspire strong brand loyalty among owners – 97 per cent of smart speaker households own only one brand in this device category. The research reve...

Parks: ‘UK cord cutters could double’

Research from Parks Associates finds that the percentage of UK broadband households stating that they are likely to cancel their pay-TV service has increased to 24 per cent in late 2018 from 12 per ce...