McAfee Canada, part of Intel Security, released findings from its first Safeguarding the Future of Digital Canada in 2025 study, which examines the thoughts and attitudes of more than 500 Canadian consumers concerning technology trends. The study looks at how technology relates to people's homes, workplace, cars, mobile devices and online security.
Canadian consumers believe that technology will significantly change their lifestyle by 2025. For example, 51 percent of Canadians believe their houses will be able to speak to them, 70 per cent anticipate using solar panels as their main source of energy and 56 per cent predict there will be cars that navigate completely on autopilot.
While new innovations will make consumers' lives more connected than ever, Canadians may feel hesitant in sharing personal information or adapting to these technologies in fear of their privacy being jeopardized. Sixty-six per cent of Canadians expressed concern over the expected state of cyber security in 2025.
"Canadians know that as technology advances, more of their everyday devices will be connected to the Internet," said Brenda Moretto, Canadian consumer manager at McAfee. "While they believe this will simplify some aspects of their lives, they're also concerned about how their security and privacy will be protected. We are hoping this study will raise awareness of these concerns and ensure privacy is taken into consideration in future innovations."
The report was compiled to provide a view into technology trends and what society can expect over the next decade. Highlights from the study give insight on how Canadians will view cybersecurity, how their homes will be connected and how they'll work.
Cybersecurity
The study revealed consumers are not confident that their cybersecurity will be protected in the coming years. This is not surprising given the near-daily reports about retail and financial institutions being hacked. Seventy-seven per cent of Canadians are concerned their families could fall victim to hackers, while almost half (46 per cent) believe their families will be affected by cyberbullies in 2025.
"People have just started to understand that their personal data is not some ethereal thing," said Brian Johnson, Intel futurist. "They haven't quite figured out what's appropriate for others to know about that data. For instance, we don't blurt out our credit card information when we walk into a room. Why would we want our data do that online?"
Wearables
Seventy-seven per cent of consumers think smart watches will be a common device in 11 years. Sixty per cent anticipate connected kitchen appliances will be a household item, while only 39 per cent think a PC desktop will be common in 2025.
Tech at the Workplace
In the next decade, Canadian consumers anticipate seeing significant changes in their offices or places of employment. While one in three (31 per cent) working consumers think they will be working from a home office, 60 per cent envision artificial intelligence and robotics assisting with their job tasks. Fifty-nine per cent believe they will be able to access work data through facial or voice recognition. While greater precautions will be taken to ensure sensitive work information remains secure, robotics in the workplace may result in companies being more susceptible to cyber-related crimes.
Connected Homes
Canadian consumers expect to have technology that makes the home experience easier. More than 60 per cent think their refrigerator will automatically add food to a running grocery list if the product is running low. More than 50 per cent of people plan to have been to a house that speaks or reads to them. The majority of consumers believe home security will be connected to their mobile device in 11 years.
