The Internet of Things or IoT is something that has grabbed the attention of every tech company and the general public as well, so MEF has tried to find out what people actually think about it. For this, MEF has compiled consumers’ views in its latest Global Consumer Survey report.
Privacy and security the top concerns
MEF found that 21% people around the world believed the IoT has the capability to take over the world. Also trust related issues such as privacy and security were the top concerns for people across eight markets: China, Brazil, France, Germany, India, South Africa, the U.K. and the U.S.
Also globally, it was found that issues surrounding privacy and security dominated, with 62% and 54% people showing concern about them, respectively, while only 27% were concerned about physical safety or being unable to fix IoT technology if it were to fail. Also it was found that in the U.S. (70%) and in France (69%), people were concerned about privacy, with both percentages being higher than the global average, while in the U.K., security was a bigger concern than the global average with 67% people concerned about it.
BullGuard, a mobile and Internet security firm in the U.K., recently conducted a survey and found that though there are many interested in buying connected IoT devices, two-thirds or 66% of them are very concerned about the risk of hacking or data theft. Privacy breaches bothered more than half of those surveyed (57%).
Even those who consider themselves tech-savvy and have spent decades with the technology have concerns. About a quarter (22%) of respondents who said they have advanced technical skills said they were not confident on whether they would be able to keep their IoT devices safe.
Will IoT take over the world?
Also there are many people who believe the IoT will be rather more nefarious. Twenty-one percent of people around the world expressed concerns that connected machines will take over the world, and this was higher than the percentage of people who worry that they might not be able to learn how they are to be used.
Of all the IoT applications, the one that has most consumers concerned is home security with 30% people bothered about it, followed by connected cars (12%) and heating systems (6%). When it comes to connected devices, 44% of the respondents globally viewed information related to health as the most sensitive, while 44% customers in China are concerned about it.
The “heightened sensitivity” for location data concerned 52% and 50% people in the U.S. and Germany, respectively, compared to the global average of 43%.
