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IoT Trust Takes Center Stage in New Research from Worldpay

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New research from Worldpay, a payment processing company, indicates that consumers in the UK are still very concerned about IoT security, despite that country being one of the most IoT-ready countries. In related research, also released recently, Australia has reached an IoT adoption tipping point and is on the verge of an explosion, although huge concerns about privacy are holding up adoption by consumers.

According to the British study’s findings, only 23 percent of UK consumers feel comfortable with a smart device, such as a fridge or virtual assistant, ordering items on their behalf, and half say they cannot see the benefits of the convenience afforded by automated shopping. Meanwhile, three times as many consumers in Brazil and China report being ready to embrace connected devices in the home.

Privacy emerged as the main barrier to adoption, with 78 percent of British consumers worried that businesses would share their personal data, while 77 percent showed concern about the prospect of devices being hacked by fraudsters. One telling response indicated that, although setting rules on spending limits and purchases goes some way to reassure consumers, a third of consumers claimed that nothing would make them feel comfortable with automated purchasing.

“Despite reservations, no matter if done by a human or machine, it is vital for consumers to remain in control when they're delegating payment tasks,” Nick Telford-Reed, Director, Technology Innovation, Worldpay. “Our research has found that there should always be a conscious 'act of consent'; be that via a device notification, button press or a pre-set rule like a spending limit, being agreed in advance.”

According to the research in Australia, 40 percent of respondents said they felt comfortable with a smart device, such as a fridge or virtual assistant, purchasing items on their behalf, which the researchers said suggests that the country is poised for the IoT to take off, as consumer perceptions catch up with technology innovation.

However, the survey also indicated privacy remains a top concern for the majority of respondents, with 71 percent saying they are worried that businesses would share personal data. The same proportion fears the prospect of devices being hacked by fraudsters, and 25 percent cannot see the benefits of the convenience afforded by automated shopping at all. This means, the authors wrote, that although the country ranks highly for its preparedness for the IoT, there is still some way to go before connected devices in the home become ubiquitous.

“If machines can offer consumers a 'concierge' style service that reduces day-to-day life admin and menial tasks then there is no reason why they won't want to delegate some of their shopping responsibilities - after all, we would all appreciate an extra bit of time to ourselves,” said Telford-Reed. “In the end, consumers need confidence that machines can be trusted to make the right decisions and keep their owners informed and in control.”

The total scope of the research was conducted performed by research firm Opinium in June 2017 and interviewed 20,000 consumers who have heard about the Internet of Things in Australia, Brazil, China, Germany, The Netherlands, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, United States of America and United Kingdom. In the UK, the study interviewed 2,006 consumers. In Australia, 2,006 consumers were surveyed.


Ken Briodagh is a writer and editor with more than a decade of experience under his belt. He is in love with technology and if he had his druthers would beta test everything from shoe phones to flying cars.

Edited by Ken Briodagh
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