Consumers in 7 Countries Don't Trust IoT Devices for Privacy, Says ISOC

Sixty-five percent of consumers canvassed in seven countries worry how connected devices collect data, reported the Internet Society and Consumers International Wednesday. Fifty-five percent of people in the U.S., Canada, Japan, Australia, France and the U.K. don’t trust their connected devices to protect their privacy, and 53 percent don’t trust connected devices to handle information responsibly. Nearly 70 percent said they own connected devices, such as smart meters, fitness monitors, connected toys, home assistants or gaming consoles. Testing by multiple consumer organizations found various products are rushed to market “with little consideration for basic security and privacy protections,” said ISOC, while 77 percent of consumers said privacy and security are important considerations in their buying decisions. Twenty-eight percent of consumers that don’t own a connected device haven’t bought one because of such concerns: “consumers see this broadly as much of a barrier as cost,” said the group. It underscores the need for IoT manufacturers to build devices with security and privacy in mind, said ISOC CEO Andrew Sullivan. Eighty-eight percent believe regulators should ensure IoT privacy and security standards, 81 percent chose manufacturers, 80 percent assigned retailers; and 60 percent laid the responsibility for security and privacy with consumers.