According to new data from Parks Associates (www.parksassociates.com) says that nearly 50% of U.S. broadband households are concerned about unauthorized access of to their personal data.

"Operators are transitioning their business models from narrow consumer cases of providing broadband, video, and voice to operating as comprehensive media and technology entities," said Glenn Hower, senior analyst, Parks Associates. "In addition, operators are expanding their definition of security from preventing content piracy to securing big data streams and protecting consumer privacy."

According to Parks Associates, nearly 50% of U.S. broadband households are very concerned that someone will access their connected devices or data without permission. Nearly 75% want to keep tight control over their personal data. By addressing these consumer concerns and allaying fears, operators have the opportunity to be leaders in a data-driven economy and set the standard for being good stewards of consumers' personal data.

"The rise of the software economy has given operators the ability to collect more information and data than ever before, including customer data, network quality and traffic data, and content asset-specific data," Hower said. "Consumers are aware and wary of the massive and ongoing data collection efforts online, so this whitepaper details strategies for operators to turn this market reality to their advantage and create a new level of engagement and trust with their customers."

Additional research from Parks Associates shows:

° 24% of consumers agree that they receive a lot in return for sharing access to their data, while the majority do not believe they receive a lot in return.
° Only 23% of broadband consumers ranked a pay-TV provider as one of their three most trustworthy companies, and only 5% indicate a pay-TV provider as the most trustworthy company.