The trust opportunity: Exploring Consumers’ Attitudes to the Internet of Things

This new research from Consumers International and the Internet Society explored consumer perceptions and attitudes towards trust, security and the privacy of consumer Internet of Things (IoT) devices. The survey of consumers in Australia, Canada, France, Japan, UK and the US aimed to find out what matters most to consumers when buying connected devices, and who is responsible for better privacy and security.

What we found:

• Connected devices are everywhere – but concerns about privacy and security remain.

• 63% of people surveyed find connected devices ‘creepy’ in the way they collect data about people and their behaviours

• This sentiment is echoed throughout the survey, with half of people across markets distrusting their connected devices to protect their privacy and handle their information in a respectful manner (53%).

• On top of not trusting the device itself to keep data secure, 75% of people agree there is reason for concern about their data being used by other organisations without their permission.

• The security concerns are serious enough to deter almost a third (28%) of people who do not own smart devices from buying one; security concerns are as strong a deterrent as the price of a device.1

• People have concerns about security and privacy but do not know how to adapt and adjust device settings in a way that might allay these fears. 80% of people surveyed are aware of how to set and reset passwords, but only 50% are aware of how to disable the collection of data about users and their behaviours. We see from the survey that a high number think that privacy and security standards should be assured by regulators (88%), followed by manufacturers (81%) and championed by retailers (80%).

Download the report here