As consumers we need to understand the value of data. Hence engage with only those device makers who give us this assurance that our data is not being used for anything that we haven’t authorised it for. In fact, the device makers which help us satisfy that data and application have been kept separately where data ownership rests with the user and application ownership is of the device maker. That is an ideal state!
In our elaborate research note on identifying the smartphone user cohorts in India, we defined the Trust conscious users which have grown 3 times in India in 2022 when compared to a cumulative view analysing the user behaviour of 5 years. As we see users increasingly deriving economic value [Refer to Page No. 60 of Vivo India Impact Report 2022] out of smartphones and other connected devices along with the scammers only thriving in the digital ecosystem, consumers will rely extremely on trustworthiness of a brand to engage with. This trust can come through increased transparency and honesty.
The recent developments in the world of AI especially after consumer level popularity of generative AI application ChatGPT has started opening up the minds of ordinary consumers about what data can do. Data is simply a currency which a user owns but potentially exploited by bad actors if not handled properly. So, we have to be extremely careful and increase our awareness to the highest level of satisfaction before engaging with any devices brand.
In the world of wearables this becomes even critical. We have so many fragmented names in the world of wearables that at times even someone like me as a watcher of this industry lose the count of players that exist in this category. There are ‘brands’ selling wearables at jaw dropping prices. But we have no clue what is happening with the data they are collection. Who is collecting the data and what are they doing with it? We have no clue. These wearables, especially fitness bands and so called ‘smart watches’ are actually data-cuffs which are arresting our privacy. A year ago, I met an army jawan on a flight. He was posted at some forward position. We discussed gadgets and he told me that they don’t have access to smartphones where he is posted because of security concerns. But perhaps he does carry his ‘smart watch’ even to such locations. This might be a serious intrusion into strategic information that could be shared with anyone, even those who could misuse such intelligence.
The takeaway point is that we as consumers do not have to take data lightly. The way it is going, we might soon see right to data privacy as an important protection guaranteed by stringent regulations. It may not be at par with other rights bestowed by the constitution, but that does not mean it’s not a significant thing.
Among the brands that are used by trust conscious users, Apple is considered to be one of the most preferred brands. This is for the assurance it gives to the users how the data is secure with them. I recently explained this as to why Apple is the Swiss bank of data.
There are various categories of data that our smart devices capture and leverage to bring value to our lives and lifestyle. There are financial data, health data, profession data, social data and many more categories that are captured by these smart devices.
As users we are mainly concerned about the financial data and feel other categories are not equally important. Among the other categories, health data is equally important, may be at times even more than the financial data, which we let our devices capture, store and use without our knowledge or we may have some level of understanding of what is actually happening with it.
Taking lead in the industry, which Apple does in many ways, it released a very comprehensive whitepaper on Health Privacy explaining how Apple takes the data pertaining to health extremely seriously and the measures it has taken to guarantee assured protection against the ill-use of the health data. Well, everyone might not be ready to read through the whitepaper, which appears a boring job to many. Apple has a solution here as well. It also launches a video campaign to make consumers understand the importance of health data and what all can be done if it is misused.
Technology availability is of no use without adequate education and awareness around it. Apple through this whitepaper and video campaign has done its job efficiently to create a mass awareness about the significance of health data and its misuse. It’s now the task of the extended ecosystem as well as consumers to educate others. We at Techarc are doing our humble contribution by spread a word about it. Now it’s your turn.
