Analysis. Before you buy a wearable to track your health, then check whether you can trust the company behind the gadget. Products for the quantified-self-segment are a lucrative business growing rapidly, because they really are motivating to use. But most leak personal data that could be misused, few products protect your privacy – apart from two brands.
When I got my first fitness tracker – a rubber bracelet with a small chip in – to measure my steps and sleep, I happened to read the terms and conditions by the company behind the Fitbit. They made me suspicious; did this company have any data ethics at all? Not so sure, I went to fakenamegenerator.com to get myself a new identity for that specific purpose. I became Nanna H. Bach on Fitbit.com. I created an email address in the same name, but did not hook up to the company’s smartphone app, as that makes it impossible to hide my location. Instead, I used only my computer with a VPN-service on, so I could change my location / IP address. My goal was to track my daily number of steps and my sleep, and as I paid for Fitbit band around my wrist, I could not see any reason to also pay with my personal data.Today, four years later, Fitbit also measures both pulse and heartbeat, and has repeatedly proven that there was good reason to be skeptical about possible abuse of my personal data.