APAC Consumers Desire IoT Devices but Fear Not Being Able to Protect Themselves

Nine out of ten people
surveyed do not trust IoT manufacturers and service providers to secure their
devices

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SINGAPORE - Media OutReach - 21 November 2018 – The Internet Society, a global
non-profit organization dedicated to ensuring the open development, evolution, and use of the Internet, unveiled today the
fifth installment of its APAC survey on policy
issues.

 

This year’s edition of
the annual survey by the Internet Society found that Internet users in
Asia-Pacific want security and privacy guarantees for the Internet of Things
(IoT) — the rapidly expanding network of devices, physical objects, services
and applications that communicate over the Internet.

 

With IoT devices rapidly
gaining traction in the region, the majority of respondents indicated they already
own IoT devices and have plans to purchase more. Seven-in-ten respondents own
at least one IoT device and close to half already own three or more
devices.  Furthermore,
close to three-quarters of the respondents plan to purchase an IoT device in
the next 12 months.

 

The most popular IoT
devices were: Internet connected appliances like smart TVs and fridges,
connected wearables, fitness monitors, voice command systems like Google Home,
and virtual reality headsets.

 

Deep-Seated



Security Concerns Over IoT Devices

 

Yet, despite the
popularity of IoT devices, consumers express deep concern over device security,
with two-in-three respondents saying that security is one of the key factors
that would influence their decision to purchase an IoT device. The other top
factors in the purchase decision include device features, pricing, and device brand.

 

Delving deeper into
concerns over security it is clear that APAC consumers lack confidence in
manufacturers, with the vast majority -nine out of ten- indicating they do not
trust IoT manufacturers and service providers to secure their device.  The
majority of respondents (60%) who do not own an IoT device state they are
unlikely to use an IoT device if there are no guarantees that the personal
information collected will be fully protected.

 

Respondents were also concerned
about:

• 81% were worried about their personal information being
  leaked
• 73% were worried that hackers may take control of their
  devices and used them to commit crimes
• 72% were worried about hackers gaining access to personal
  information
• 71% were worried about being monitored without their
  knowledge or consent

 

Despite overwhelming concerns
about security and privacy, consumers in APAC feel they do not have the ability
to protect themselves or fail to do so.

 

Only half of those who own an IoT device have changed default
passwords, and only a third have read the privacy and policy terms and
conditions of their device. Notably, of
those who did not change device passwords: 
30% decided not to, 10% did not know how and close to 50% claimed their
device did not have one. 

 

APAC Consumers Want Greater Control

 

Rajnesh Singh Regional Director of the Asia-Pacific Regional
Bureau at the Internet Society explains, “There is a need to ensure that manufacturers and
suppliers of IoT products and services protect consumers and the privacy of
their data. Currently, the measures that are in place do not match the degree
of concern from current and future owners of IoT devices.”  

 

Consumers
in the region were clear that they would like for security and privacy
protections to come as standard across all IoT devices, with 9 out of 10
stating as such. A similar number also wished for a security guarantee through
a trust mark of certification label to be implemented.

 

Additional controls that consumers would like to see
implemented include:

• The option to delete personal data collected
  (84%)
• Know what kinds of personal data the IoT
  device captures (84%)
• Know who can access this information (83%)
• Know how this information is used (77%)
• Know where this information is stored (72%)

 

The
APAC Internet Policy Issues Survey polled nearly 1,000 Internet users
across 22 Asia-Pacific economies on IoT security and privacy risks.

 

About
the Internet Society

Founded by
Internet pioneers, the Internet
Society is a
non-profit organization dedicated to ensuring the open development, evolution, and use of the Internet. Working through a
global community of chapters and members, the Internet Society collaborates
with a broad range of groups to promote the technologies that keep the Internet
safe and secure, and advocates for policies that enable universal access. The
Internet Society is also the organizational home of the Internet Engineering
Task Force (IETF).