Parks: 54% of U.S. Internet Homes Report Data Privacy Issue in Past 12 Months

Erik Gruenwedel

December 19, 2023

Nearly 75% of U.S. internet households are concerned about the security of their personal data, while 54% report experiencing a data privacy or security issue in the past 12 months, an increase of 50% over five years, according to new data from Parks Associates.

The report comes after Comcast disclosed that upwards of 36 million Xfinity subscribers were exposed to a data security breach over a four-day period in October.

Parks said data security concerns impact consumer product and vendor choices, especially as the push for interoperability will enable smart home device owners to pick a unified app to control all their devices.

“Lack of trust is the top reason for smart home device owners to reject specific companies as their preferred unified app provider,” Jennifer Kent, VP research, Parks Associates, said in a statement. “Consumers are wary about how companies use their data, and they need reassurance that brands are accessing their data responsibly — before they sour on product and service offerings.”

Data security concerns are particularly damaging for property management companies and smartphone/smart speaker providers, such as Amazon, Apple, Samsung, and Google. Among smart home devices, owners who would reject these companies as their unified app provider, 42% cite a lack of trust in a property management company, while 30% would not choose a smartphone/smart speaker provider because they do not trust them with their data.

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“Smart home players must honor consumer concerns and double their efforts to secure their products,” Kent said in a statement. “Trust can be gained through transparency about partnerships and data access and through industry certification programs. When trust is honored, earned, and kept, it can be a competitive advantage.”