Privacy issues continue to shape the wearables industry. In 2014 we wrote about a Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) study finding that wearable users were extremely concerned about the use of patient-contributed data. The FTC took a stance on the importance of securing personal data in the Internet of Things (IoT), particularly with wearable health tech devices.
The Isreal-based Essence Group recently declared the company’s commitment to protecting the home and family privacy of its connected security solutions in a press release. Customers use more than 50 million Essence Group IoT devices in over four million homes worldwide for home security, connected smart homes, and aging in place.
The Essence Group doubled down on data privacy with its Four Privacy Pillars. According to the announcement, the key points of the policy include privacy as a strategic imperative, committing to the protection of privacy and security of homes and families, product design that focuses on customer privacy, and going beyond industry standards.
According to the Essence Group release, data privacy is a recent focus for many companies in the connected device industry but not for Essence. With its experience with cloud-connected cameras in private homes for more than ten years, customers install Essence devices to reduce vulnerability so that the residents can feel safe in their own homes. This privacy protection extends beyond video content to personal data of all types.
There is no data privacy benchmark or industry standard for connected devices, but with its Four Privacy Pillars, the Essence Group has driven a stake in the ground. In the near future we may see such privacy commitments and company policies featured in marketing materials as a competitive advantage over competing wearables and other connected devices.
