Smart home consumer privacy survey reveals unease

In a report released in the US last month by ADT, 1,230 US consumers responded emphatically to a consumer privacy survey that reveals significant concerns over smart home privacy.

With many data privacy and security issues in the news, says ADT, it’s no surprise that 92 percent of respondents feel smart home security companies need to take measures to protect customers’ personal data and information. However, while concerns around privacy are high, more than 40 percent of those surveyed admitted they don’t feel knowledgeable on the topic.

In early 2019, ADT rolled out the Consumer Privacy Initiative, “… an industry-level initiative to unite the smart home security industry and produce clear guiding principles… for how security providers manage consumer data and protect their privacy.” Major focus areas outlined in the initiative’s manifesto include accountability, data correction and deletion, guidance and use, and transparency.

Several leading smart-security brands have united with ADT to expand on the practices laid out in the initiative. The doors are open for other companies to come aboard, and this is certainly a case of “the more the merrier” because, let’s face it, those terms-and-conditions pages could do with some enriching.

“ADT released the first Internetconnected smart home security platform in 2010, and we’ve consistently taken great care to protect and connect our customers in the most secure ways possible, using leading industry standards and best practices to guard their data, privacy and personal information,” said Jim DeVries, President and CEO of ADT.

“Where there is consumer confusion about privacy, we as an industry must work to reduce that confusion so consumers can be confident that the products and services we provide to help keep them safe can be trusted. With that trust in place, there can be greater peace of mind.”

Key Consumer Privacy Opinion Survey Findings

The explosion of the smart home device category ushered in scores of new manufacturers and brands that may have put convenience before user privacy.

However, the consumer privacy opinion survey revealed consumers are now aware of and concerned about privacy as it relates to smart home devices with the top concerns reported to be hacking (75 percent) followed by government spying on in-home smart cameras (53 percent) and smart speakers (52 percent).

The survey also uncovered that when it comes to how personal information is shared, consumers tend to be more concerned about how governments (89 percent) and companies (93 percent) share their personal information than they are about how they share their own personal information on social media (86 percent).

And, despite acknowledging the importance of privacy protocols, most consumers don’t use privacy measures available to them. Fewer than 40 percent of survey respondents reported having any data privacy measures in place at all.

“These consumer privacy opinion survey findings validate the work we’ve been doing as an industry over the past year to create a set of guiding principles, designed to help protect customer privacy and trust in the security industry and member companies, and to unify ourselves around them,” said Frank Cona, Chief Privacy Officer at ADT.

A Consumer Privacy Initiative for the Security Industry

The Consumer Privacy Initiative was launched as an industry-level initiative to unite the US smart home security industry and produce clear guiding principles and best practices for how security providers manage consumer data and protect their privacy.

Participants, including producers of security products and security related software, implementers and other service providers, and industry associations joined together during the past year to develop a baseline of industry-wide guiding principles for consumer privacy, with input from consumer advocates.

Guiding principles for the group are being developed with the understanding that providers of smart home security products and services must continually earn the trust of their customers by prioritising their privacy as well as their safety.

The principles are intended to evolve with the changing smart home and security landscape – addressing top-ofmind issues such as facial recognition and analytics. Current areas of focus include:

• Privacy by Design – Consumer privacy should be embedded in all areas of the security industry, and that begins with the design of the products used to help protect and connect customers.

• Transparency – Providers of security products and services must spell out in clear and understandable terms how they collect, use, share, and retain sensitive data.

• Handling of Audio and Video – Security providers will only share audio or video with first responders with their customers’ prior consent, or as required by law, and will not otherwise access a customer’s audio or video without the customer’s knowledge.

• Data Correction and Deletion – Security providers will create an easily accessible process for customers to request that personal information collected by that provider be deleted. Customers can also request that data errors be corrected.

• Guidance and Use – Providers of security products and services will equip customers with information that empowers them to use their security products and services in a manner that better enhances everyone’s privacy. This could involve adjusting data collection settings, setup of cameras, or establishing video and audio data retention timeframes that work best for them.

• Accountability – Providers of security products and services will commit to additional accountability measures, such as independent privacy assessments.

To date, the following organisations have collaborated in developing the guiding principles, ADT, Alarm.com, Electronic Security Association, Security Industry Association (SIA), Sercomm, TrustArc/Nymity, and Vector Security.

“The Security Industry Association is pleased to support this important broadbased effort led by ADT to ensure the privacy of consumers,” SIA CEO Don Erickson said at the time.

“SIA has taken a leading role on privacy issues through its Data Privacy Advisory Board, and we look forward to working with our partners on this project to demonstrate that members of the industry are as committed to protecting data privacy as they are to securing people and property.”