SANTA CLARA, CA – The majority of global consumers believe that smart homes will be as common in 2025 as smartphones are today, but they are also very concerned about cybersecurity, according to an Intel Security survey.
The ‘Internet of Things and the Smart Home’ survey, conducted by Vanson Bourne and sponsored by Intel Security, polled 9,000 individuals from Canada, Australia, Brazil, France, Germany, India, Mexico, the United Kingdom and the United States. Survey respondents were universally worried about potential security threats from smart homes, with 92% expressing concern that their personal data could be hacked by cybercriminals. Yet almost as many respondents (89%) said that if they lived in a smart home, they would likely prefer to secure all their smart devices through a single integrated security package.
The survey said that consumers were less enthusiastic about existing security methods such as passwords, with 4 in 10 foreseeing passwords as a frustration with smart homes, and three-quarters (75%) indicating they are at least somewhat anxious about the number of passwords likely to be required to manage smart homes. However, biometrics scored well as an alternative for accessing smart homes. When asked to select several preferred forms of biometric security, 54% opted for fingerprints, 46% for voice recognition and 42% for eye scans.
In addition, the majority of respondents worldwide (54% ) indicated they might be willing to share their personal data collected from their smart home with companies in exchange for money, and 70% agree companies should give coupons and discounts to customers in return for data about device usage.
“Smart homes and their associated data have the potential to improve consumers’ everyday lives,” said Intel Security’s chief technology officer Steve Grobman, in the survey’s news release. “The survey shows that many individuals would be comfortable sharing that data for a price, but they are still understandably concerned about cyberthreats. Security has to be foundational to the Internet of Things and when done right, it can be an enabler of IoT.”
Survey findings from the 500 Canadian respondents include:
– 81% said if they had a smart home, they would only want a single sign-on to manage the entire home (compared to 84% globally);
– 71% believe companies should give coupons and discounts to customers in return for sharing data related to usage (compared to 70% globally); and
– 55% said if they lived in a smart home, they would give a company access to their connected home habits if they were paid (compared to 60% globally).
