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.
According to Parks Associates, in -home health monitoring is a service that allows patients to use network -connected measurement devices, such as glucose meters, weight scales, and peak flow meters,...
According to a report released July, Parks Associates found that 59 percent of U.S. broadband households subscribe to Netflix, Amazon, or Hulu. Netflix’s deals with pay TV companies helped it surpa...
The hottest smart-home purchase this holiday season is likely to be a smart video doorbell. As many as 14% of U.S. households with broadband access say they're pretty likely to buy the device that...
According to an analysis produced by Parks Associates, about one-third of internet users stream cable TV by using the login credentials of someone they don’t live with. The firm estimated that passwor...
