Consumer Familiarity With Term ‘Internet of Things’ Remarkably Low, Survey Finds

The Internet of Things will remain a “trending topic” in 2015, as more than a third of online U.S. consumers now own at least one smart device other than a smartphone, said Ipsos research conducted for data privacy management company TRUSTe. The most popular devices are smart TVs (owned by 20 percent of those sampled), in-car navigation systems (12 percent), fitness bands (5 percent) and home alarm systems (4 percent). The survey canvassed 1,000 U.S. adult consumers online Nov. 28 to Dec. 5 and found that the number of connected devices available on the market continues to grow, and so does the amount of data being collected, TRUSTe said. Nearly eight of 10 consumers canvassed said they’re concerned about the idea of their personal information collected, it said. Only 20 percent “think that the benefits of owning a smart device outweigh any privacy concerns about the data they may collect,” it said. Though ownership of smart devices is high, consumer awareness of Internet of Things as a term is remarkably low, it said. The survey that 82 percent were unfamiliar with the term, it said.