Passage: Now-a-days there is a growing trend to use interconnected home devices. As consumers increasingly…
Passage: Now-a-days there is a growing trend to use interconnected home devices. As consumers increasingly network their homes, the connected home device manufacturers and service providers will seek to overcome "thin profit margins by gathering more of our personal data-with or without our agreement-turning the home into a corporate storefront". Corporate marketers will have powerful incentives to observe consumer behaviour to understand the buying needs and preferences of the device owners.
Which one of the following statements best reflects the most logical, rational and practical message implied by the passage?
Knowledge of consumer behaviour leads to more capital expenditure in manufacturing sector.
Knowledge of consumer behaviour stimulates the growth of commerce and trade and thus helps in the overall economic development of the country.
Interconnected devices give a lot of comfort to home users and improve the overall quality of life.
Interconnected devices can be at security risk and home users may have privacy risk.
Solution
Option (d) is correct: the passage warns that connected home device makers gather personal data 'with or without our agreement', highlighting privacy and security risks. Option (a) about capital expenditure and option (b) about economic development are beyond the scope. Option (c) overlooks the passage's emphasis on privacy risks. Hence (d) is the most logical, rational and practical message.