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9 Crime Sci. 1 (2020)

handle is hein.journals/crimsci9 and id is 1 raw text is: Blythe et al. Crime Sci   (2020) 9:1
https-//doi.org/1 0.1186/s40163-019-0110-3

Crime Science

What is security worth to consumers?
Investigating willingness to pay for secure
Internet of Things devices
John M. Blythe, Shane D. Johnson'  and Matthew Manning2
Abstract
The Internet of Things (loT) is considered the next technological revolution. loT devices include once everyday
objects that are now internet connected, such as smart locks and smart fridges, but also new types of devices to
include home assistants. However, while this increased interconnectivity brings considerable benefits, it can and does
increase people's exposure to crime risk. This is particularly the case as most devices are developed without security
in mind. One reason for this is that there is little incentive for manufacturers to make devices secure by design, and
the costs of so doing do not encourage it. The principle aim of the current paper was to estimate the extent to which
consumers are willing to pay for improved security in internet connected products. The second aim was to examine
whether this is conditioned by their exposure to security-related information. Using an experimental design, and a
contingent valuation method, we find that people are willing to pay for improved security and that for some devices,
this increases if they are exposed to information about security prior to stating their willingness to pay.The implica-
tions of our findings for industry and the secure by design agenda are discussed.
Keywords: Internet of Things, Security, Willingness to pay, Priming

Introduction
The internet has transformed society, generating new
opportunities for social interaction, business opportuni-
ties, and communication. Recently, manufacturers have
taken advantage of the interconnectivity that the inter-
net facilitates to produce electronic products that can
send and receive data over the internet, and be controlled
remotely. Such devices are collectively known as the
Internet of Things (IoT) and include internet connected
security cameras, thermostats, toys, and even fridges.
Like the internet itself, such devices have the potential
to improve our lives in a variety of ways. For instance,
internet connected security cameras allow us to monitor
our homes remotely, making them more secure. Internet
*Correspondence: Shanejohnson@ucl.ac.uk
Dawes Centre for Future Crime at UCL, University College London,
London, UK
Full list of author information is available at the end of the article

BMC

connected thermostats allow us to control the tempera-
ture of our homes from anywhere on the planet, having
the potential to conserve energy as well as increasing
our comfort. The IoT is increasing in ubiquity and Wrap
(2016) estimate that by 2020, the average UK household
will have around 15 internet connected products.
While this increased interconnectivity brings consid-
erable benefits, it can also increase our exposure to risk
and opportunities for crime. In recent years, academics,
policy makers and industry have taken a growing interest
in the security of the consumer IoT (DCMS 2018). The
primary reason for this is that these devices are typically
shipped with inadequate security features and place the
burden for securing them onto the consumer. In fact,
studies have demonstrated that seven out of the ten most
popular IoT devices have security vulnerabilities (Hewlett
Packard Enterprise 2015) and that there are up to forty-
three behaviours expected of consumers to protect these
IoT devices across their lifecycle (Blythe et al. 2017).

©The Author(s) 2020. This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing,
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