Warren, New Jersey, Oct. 25, 2018: Adoption of the Internet of Things (IoT) continues to grow rapidly but it could be even more transformative were it not for concerns around IoT security on part of the consumer, according to a new survey.
The F-Secure survey found that the consumers most eager to purchase new connected devices tended to delay or avoid new IoT purchases due to privacy or security concerns. F-Secure has conducted nearly 20,000 consumer interviews in the United States and Europe over the last 5 years. F-Secure is a cybersecurity agency.
The research found:
- Early adopters love the IoT: 9 out of 10 say that they’re excited about the technology.
- Privacy concerns, however, hold back new investments in smart home devices: 74 percent of early adopters say they’re looking to purchase connected home devices, but two-thirds have delayed an IoT purchase because of privacy concerns.
- Early adopters connect more: 38 percent of US Internet users spend more than 4 hours Online a day; this rises to 45 percent for early adopters
- Cyber security savvy rises: 62 percent of US consumers know what ransomware is compared to 37 percent in 2015
- Users shift to mobile: the share of Americans using desktop PCs has fallen 6 percent since 2015 as the percent that uses Android smartphones has increased 10 percent and iPhone use is up 9 percent
- Homes are getting “smarter:” Nearly one in four US homes, 22 percent, use a digital assistant such as Amazon Alexa or Google Home, a category that didn’t exist in 2015; this is almost double the 12 percent of Europeans who use such devices
“U.S. consumers are moving to connected devices by choice to enhance their lives and by necessity, given that it’s almost impossible to find a TV that isn’t considered ‘smart’ today,” said F-Secure Operator Consultant Tom Gaffney, in a statement. “But these numbers might be even higher if consumers, especially the consumers most open to considering new technology had more confidence in the IoT.”
“Early adopters’ worries about protecting their personal data are valid, considering the current issues challenging devices that stay online all the time yet aren’t normally secured in the way the most PCs and many smartphones are,” said Gaffney.