Users’ Privacy and Security Concerns that Affect IoT Adoption in the Home Domain

Abstract

Internet of things (IoT) technology must provide users with benefits that outweigh the costs and risks for it to be widely accepted and adopted. New functionality is continuously added, and costs decrease with the increasing volumes and technological advances; however, the risks also increase as technology becomes increasingly integrated into human lives. This survey study of 251 respondents investigated how users and different user groups perceive IoT security and privacy in the home domain, their trust in the involved parties, and how different types of measures, as suggested by the literature, can affect user adoption. The results indicate that people are particularly concerned about security and privacy and are fearful of breaches and misuse. A large majority of the people do not believe the products to be secure. Less than a third of the users trust manufacturers, service providers, and governments to uphold their privacy; this remarkably hinders IoT adoption.