Features Research
Whitepaper: Privacy risks for the connected home

The complimentary whitepaper, Securing the Integrity of Video Analytics Data, reveals approximately one-fourth of U.S. broadband households are concerned about their privacy and security when using connected consumer electronic devices.

“Operators are facing new operating and security risks due to an increasingly connected ecosystem, especially as the breadth and depth of the data collected are growing,” said Glenn Hower, research analyst, Parks Associates.

“Several high-profile hacking incidents, including breaches at Vizio and Cox Communications, have enhanced consumer awareness of the new privacy risks in connected environments – and they expect their vendors to secure their data. Securing video analytics data must be a constant priority, not a periodic responsibility, to maintain consumer confidence and ensure the integrity of today’s connected home,” Hower noted.

“In our increasingly connected and virtualized world, managing network operations has become quite complex. Service providers are turning to their trusted technology ecosystems to help determine the most effective way to leverage the surge in big data assets,” said Petr Peterka, CTO, Verimatrix. “A comprehensive secure video analytics platform can not only protect consumer’s privacy and ensure compliance with local regulations, but also protect the integrity of the data, which ultimately increases the value of that data.”

Parks Associates research from The Demand for Device & Network Security shows 47 per cent of U.S. broadband households are concerned their private information stored on connected devices could be made public and 47 per cent of U.S. broadband households are worried companies will sell their personal information. More than 40 per cent of U.S. broadband households are interested in services that protect privacy and manage online consumer information.

“Ultimately, protecting customer information is not just about protecting the customer but also protecting the operators’ investments in video analytics data,” Hower said. “Younger consumers in particular are open to sharing their data in exchange for certain benefits, but a security breach would reduce their trust in their video service provider. Diminished trust would therefore reduce the ability of vendors, partners, and advertisers to provide valuable analytics information and insight.”

Securing the Integrity of Video Analytics Data, informed by a series of recent in-depth interviews with key decision makers in the video service operator industry, addresses the following key areas for operators:
• Value of data in creating new video services
• New risks for operators
• Consumer privacy and security concerns
• Complexity created by the expanding consumer-based IoT
• Operator strategies to develop robust data security systems, including the benefits of internal development versus outsourcing security solutions

To download the whitepaper, visit www.parksassociates.com/whitepapers.