Privacy and security issues need to be resolved before IoT can boom – report

There are three main barriers to mass adoption of IoT solutions, according to a new report from Strategy Analytics, which identified lack of privacy, insecurity and a widespread lack of knowledge of the IoT as the main public concerns.

The Consumer Perspectives on the Internet of Things report identified a number of elements that would make the public warm to the idea of widespread adoption of IoT systems to regulate roads, utilities and aspects of public life.

Consumers in the study group from the US and the UK told researchers they would need to see long-term savings, simple interfaces and systems which work across all their devices. Aside from time and money savings, from both personal efficiencies and the organization of public authorities, the other main motivation for wanting to use the IoT was public and personal health. Nearly half of all the consumers surveyed felt that IoT could improve their personal health and well-being.

These positives are outweighed by fears over privacy and security which currently present considerable barriers to adoption, according to the report authors. Around 80% of the survey group identified strong concerns around the ownership of information, access to it and the intended uses of this intelligence. In a related series of concerns, many of the survey group had doubts about the stability, accuracy and reliability of information gathered by the IoT.

“For IoT solutions to be widely adopted, consumers must trust these technologies explicitly, solutions must be compatible for control across all platforms and full customization should be available to ensure that the user feels like they are in control,” said report author Christopher Dodge, associate director of the User Experience Innovation Practice (UXIP) at Strategy Analytics.

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