08-11-2014, 06:48 AM
0
Rarely do I agree with this guy, but after looking for my own fitness tracker recently I nixed the idea because every single one I found required me to keep my personal info on their servers.
Although the senator is on the right track, he needs to go one step further and demand these companies give the user the option of storing their data on their own hard drives or other devices instead of storing it online for you. Opting out doesn't stop hackers and the occasional unscrupulous employee.
Everyone loves the ease of today's internet where it's just simply post it and someone else takes care of the rest for you. "Hey, make your account here! Talk to friends and family and keep track of them!" Sure, it sounds great, but do you really think those privacy settings work? I assure you they do not.
How much spam has increased in your inboxes lately?
Senator Warns Fitbit Is A 'Privacy Nightmare' And Could Be 'Tracking' Your Movements <-- click
Senator Chuck Schumer (D-New York) issued a statement Sunday calling for federal protections to guard consumers from a "privacy nightmare" that could be created by FitBit and other wearable fitness trackers.
Specifically, Schumer said he was worried companies behind FitBit and similar products could sell data from these devices to third parties.
"Personal fitness bracelets and the data they collect on your health, sleep, and location, should be just that – personal. The fact that private health data – rich enough to identify the user’s gait - is being gathered by applications like FitBit and can then be sold to third-parties without the user’s consent is a true privacy nightmare," Schumer said.
Schumer's press release announcing his concerns about FitBit declared, in all capital letters, "WITHOUT THEIR KNOWLEDGE, FITBIT BRACELETS & SMARTPHONE APPS ARE TRACKING USER’S MOVEMENTS AND HEALTH DATA THAT COULD BE SOLD TO THIRD PARTIES." In his statement, the senator called on the Federal Trade Commission to require companies to notify consumers if their fitness and location data could be sold to third parties — and to allow users to opt-out of these deals.
"If companies of fitness devices have the ability to sell personal health data to insurers, employers and others, users should be alerted and given the opportunity to decline," said Schumer. "The FTC should require fitness devices and app companies to adopt new privacy measures that will help conceal the identity of individuals and develop policies to protect consumer information in the event of a security breach."
Schumer's press release noted the FTC "has openly voiced its concern about the selling of personal fitness data between companies, but has yet to take action to push application developers and other fitness monitoring companies to provide an opt-out opportunity." The press released also suggested that, without adequate protections, "users’ health information obtained via these trackers could be sold to insurers, mortgage lenders, or employers."
Update (8:31 p.m.): A Fitbit spokesperson said the company does not sell data to third parties and they would like to "work with" Schumer.
"Fitbit does not sell user data. Our privacy policy prevents us from doing this. We are committed to our users' privacy and welcome the opportunity to work with Senator Schumer on this important issue," the spokesperson said.
Although the senator is on the right track, he needs to go one step further and demand these companies give the user the option of storing their data on their own hard drives or other devices instead of storing it online for you. Opting out doesn't stop hackers and the occasional unscrupulous employee.
Everyone loves the ease of today's internet where it's just simply post it and someone else takes care of the rest for you. "Hey, make your account here! Talk to friends and family and keep track of them!" Sure, it sounds great, but do you really think those privacy settings work? I assure you they do not.
How much spam has increased in your inboxes lately?
Senator Warns Fitbit Is A 'Privacy Nightmare' And Could Be 'Tracking' Your Movements <-- click
Senator Chuck Schumer (D-New York) issued a statement Sunday calling for federal protections to guard consumers from a "privacy nightmare" that could be created by FitBit and other wearable fitness trackers.
Specifically, Schumer said he was worried companies behind FitBit and similar products could sell data from these devices to third parties.
"Personal fitness bracelets and the data they collect on your health, sleep, and location, should be just that – personal. The fact that private health data – rich enough to identify the user’s gait - is being gathered by applications like FitBit and can then be sold to third-parties without the user’s consent is a true privacy nightmare," Schumer said.
Schumer's press release announcing his concerns about FitBit declared, in all capital letters, "WITHOUT THEIR KNOWLEDGE, FITBIT BRACELETS & SMARTPHONE APPS ARE TRACKING USER’S MOVEMENTS AND HEALTH DATA THAT COULD BE SOLD TO THIRD PARTIES." In his statement, the senator called on the Federal Trade Commission to require companies to notify consumers if their fitness and location data could be sold to third parties — and to allow users to opt-out of these deals.
"If companies of fitness devices have the ability to sell personal health data to insurers, employers and others, users should be alerted and given the opportunity to decline," said Schumer. "The FTC should require fitness devices and app companies to adopt new privacy measures that will help conceal the identity of individuals and develop policies to protect consumer information in the event of a security breach."
Schumer's press release noted the FTC "has openly voiced its concern about the selling of personal fitness data between companies, but has yet to take action to push application developers and other fitness monitoring companies to provide an opt-out opportunity." The press released also suggested that, without adequate protections, "users’ health information obtained via these trackers could be sold to insurers, mortgage lenders, or employers."
Update (8:31 p.m.): A Fitbit spokesperson said the company does not sell data to third parties and they would like to "work with" Schumer.
"Fitbit does not sell user data. Our privacy policy prevents us from doing this. We are committed to our users' privacy and welcome the opportunity to work with Senator Schumer on this important issue," the spokesperson said.
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