• by Chuck Martin , Staff Writer, January 3, 2018

There seems to be a paradox in the Internet of Things.

While consumers see the value in IoT services, they also are concerned about the security of their data and how it’s being used.

The majority (53%) of consumers say the Internet of Things makes their life easier, but only 9% have a high level of trust that their data collected and shared via IoT is secure, according to a survey of 3,000 U.S. and Canadian consumers conducted by Cisco.

There’s somewhat of a challenge here, since almost half (42%) of consumers say that the Internet of Things is so integrated into their lives that they would have difficulty disconnecting, either temporarily or permanently.

There is perceived value in the Internet of Things, despite low consumer awareness. Here’s a breakdown of the value perceived:

• 53% -- Personal connected devices make life easier
• 47% -- Personal connected devices same time or make consumers more efficient
• 36% -- Saves money or makes things more valuable
• 34% -- Personal connected devices help protect them and their family
• 33% -- Public IoT infrastructure helps protect society

Consumers who have direct experience with IoT devices see higher value.

Around specific experiences, consumers found higher value (57%) in connected cars and smart homes (50%).

There is high awareness of some of the uses of data being collected, such as personal usage data. Here is the awareness level among consumers around IoT devices collecting data:

• 69% -- Personal usage data
• 61% -- Personally identifiable information
• 58% -- Device performance data
• 58% -- Aggregated data
• 15% -- Don’t know what kind of data is being collected

While awareness is high, comfort is not.

For example, most (53%) say they would rather not have any data collected, no matter which device.

The majority (70%) of consumers want more control over what personal data is being collected and shared through the IoT service they use.

Smart companies will be paying attention to that stat.