Millennials love electronic gadgets and smart home devices (opens in new tab), but they’re also wary that these products might put them in harm’s way. This is according to a new report from cybersecurity experts Kaspersky, whose latest report (opens in new tab) claims that the majority (56%) are “worried” about their internet security at home.
The “Smart home of almost everything” report, based on responses from 21,000 people across the world, also says that the majority tend to use protection for smart home devices such as baby or pet monitoring cameras. As it turns out, the users are aware that these devices might be used by malicious actors to spy on them.
Caring for privacy
Caring for security doesn’t mean they want to stay away from the devices, however. Approximately a third (32%) said they did not want to buy a smart home device due to privacy and security concerns. Breaking these figures down, 17% were concerned with privacy, and 15% said they didn’t know how to protect the gadgets from hackers.
Most Millennials (54% of those aged 25-34) are happy to use smart home gadgets and have taken action to secure them, as the majority (56%) believe they are the ones responsible for the protection of their gear and their privacy. Furthermore, just a third (34%) believe that simply buying a device from a trusted manufacturer is all that is needed to ensure its security.
When it comes to securing the devices, there is a wide range of actions users take, with denying access to location data on their smartphone being the most popular (40%). Using a VPN, encrypted messaging apps and a secondary “junk” email address instead of their main one were actions taken by around 20% of respondents for each.
The biggest roadblock to higher adoption of smart home devices remains their cost. Almost half (46%) said they refrained from buying such a gadget due to high prices, while 20% simply didn’t see the benefit.
