Daniel Honeychurch
The sale of fitness trackers, or watches that monitor a person’s daily movement and other vitals, has increased over recent years. In 2018, the global revenue for fitness trackers was $3.25 billion. These sales increased in 2019 to $4.29 billion and are expected to rise further to $4.97 billion by 2024. Fitness trackers often come with a variety of features to help people learn more about their individual health, specifically their heart rate, step count, and quality of sleep. The current COVID-19 pandemic is partially responsible for the growth in this market since new products offer features to monitor blood oxygen levels and body temperature (4). With all of this data monitored and stored, new ethical considerations must be discussed. Who has access to this personal information, and can it be used against the user?
Since the popularity of fitness trackers is just rising, many questions are unanswered about how a person’s data is used. The privacy of a person’s fitness data may have many medical consequences. Can insurance companies increase the cost for people based on their amount of exercise or blood pressure? (2). Will patients be denied treatment for obesity based on their level of exercise or calorie consumption? (1). These questions are important for people to consider, so everyone can make a well-informed decision about using a fitness tracker.
According to Fitbit’s terms of service, the company does not sell personal data, but it can share anonymous data about its customers (3). This unidentified data can seem harmless; however, the information could still be linked to specific users, according to Jen King, former Director of Consumer Privacy for the Center for Internet and Society at Stanford Law School. For example, if a person goes on runs with a fitness tracker, their location may be recorded.
Since people typically begin runs at their house, this GPS data could reveal the identity of that specific user (5). There are also privacy concerns about the cybersecurity of the collected data, especially if users connect their device to an unsecured network (2).
Despite these concerns about the privacy of a person’s data, fitness trackers offer many health benefits. For example, a patient can wear a fitness tracker that monitors blood pressure and regularly sends the data to a physician. If the patient maintains a healthy blood pressure, there is no need for the patient to make frequent clinical visits for the same test. This reduces the cost of healthcare and provides patients comfort in knowing their health at any time. Aggregated data from thousands or millions of users can also help public health officials understand health trends for people in different regions (2).
Data collected from fitness trackers provide an innovative way for people to better understand their current health. Although there are many ethical concerns about the security of a person’s fitness data, many can be addressed with transparency and action by companies. Companies should clearly state to their customers how their personal data may be used and ensure that it cannot be linked to them, such as removing locations from the data. Also, companies should commit to strengthen their cybersecurity and warn users not to connect their devices to unknown networks. Governments should address the issue of insurance companies potentially using a person’s data to determine cost of coverage to ensure a person’s fitness data is not used against them. People should have access to all of the beneficial features of fitness trackers, while not losing control of their personal data.
References
1. Chan S. 2017 Jun 5. Bioethics in big data era: healthcare and beyond. Universitat de Barcelona. [accessed 2021 Mar 1]. https://www.redalyc.org/jatsRepo/783/78354511002/html/index.html
2. Ethics of Wearables: How Health Providers Use Health Data Insights from Wellness Technology. 2020 Dec 9. University of Illinois Chicago. [accessed 2021 Mar 1]. https://healthinformatics.uic.edu/blog/ethics-of-wearables/
3. Fitbit Privacy Policy. 2020 Oct 8. Fitbit. [accessed 2021 Mar 2]. https://www.fitbit.com/global/us/legal/privacy-policy
4. Paxton M. 2020 Aug 17. Wearable Tech Fitness trackers on the rebound. S&P Global Market Intelligence. [accessed 2021 Mar 1]. https://www.spglobal.com/marketintelligence/en/news- insights/blog/wearable-tech-fitness-trackers-on-the-rebound
5. Perez A.J. 2019 Aug 16. Use a fitness app to track your workouts? Your data may not be as protected as you think. USA Today. [accessed 2021 Mar 1]. https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/2019/08/16/what-info-do-fitness-apps-keep- share/1940916001/
Image: https://pixabay.com/illustrations/running-watch-gps-activity-clock-1246430/
Since the popularity of fitness trackers is just rising, many questions are unanswered about how a person’s data is used. The privacy of a person’s fitness data may have many medical consequences. Can insurance companies increase the cost for people based on their amount of exercise or blood pressure? (2). Will patients be denied treatment for obesity based on their level of exercise or calorie consumption? (1). These questions are important for people to consider, so everyone can make a well-informed decision about using a fitness tracker.
According to Fitbit’s terms of service, the company does not sell personal data, but it can share anonymous data about its customers (3). This unidentified data can seem harmless; however, the information could still be linked to specific users, according to Jen King, former Director of Consumer Privacy for the Center for Internet and Society at Stanford Law School. For example, if a person goes on runs with a fitness tracker, their location may be recorded.
Since people typically begin runs at their house, this GPS data could reveal the identity of that specific user (5). There are also privacy concerns about the cybersecurity of the collected data, especially if users connect their device to an unsecured network (2).
Despite these concerns about the privacy of a person’s data, fitness trackers offer many health benefits. For example, a patient can wear a fitness tracker that monitors blood pressure and regularly sends the data to a physician. If the patient maintains a healthy blood pressure, there is no need for the patient to make frequent clinical visits for the same test. This reduces the cost of healthcare and provides patients comfort in knowing their health at any time. Aggregated data from thousands or millions of users can also help public health officials understand health trends for people in different regions (2).
Data collected from fitness trackers provide an innovative way for people to better understand their current health. Although there are many ethical concerns about the security of a person’s fitness data, many can be addressed with transparency and action by companies. Companies should clearly state to their customers how their personal data may be used and ensure that it cannot be linked to them, such as removing locations from the data. Also, companies should commit to strengthen their cybersecurity and warn users not to connect their devices to unknown networks. Governments should address the issue of insurance companies potentially using a person’s data to determine cost of coverage to ensure a person’s fitness data is not used against them. People should have access to all of the beneficial features of fitness trackers, while not losing control of their personal data.
References
1. Chan S. 2017 Jun 5. Bioethics in big data era: healthcare and beyond. Universitat de Barcelona. [accessed 2021 Mar 1]. https://www.redalyc.org/jatsRepo/783/78354511002/html/index.html
2. Ethics of Wearables: How Health Providers Use Health Data Insights from Wellness Technology. 2020 Dec 9. University of Illinois Chicago. [accessed 2021 Mar 1]. https://healthinformatics.uic.edu/blog/ethics-of-wearables/
3. Fitbit Privacy Policy. 2020 Oct 8. Fitbit. [accessed 2021 Mar 2]. https://www.fitbit.com/global/us/legal/privacy-policy
4. Paxton M. 2020 Aug 17. Wearable Tech Fitness trackers on the rebound. S&P Global Market Intelligence. [accessed 2021 Mar 1]. https://www.spglobal.com/marketintelligence/en/news- insights/blog/wearable-tech-fitness-trackers-on-the-rebound
5. Perez A.J. 2019 Aug 16. Use a fitness app to track your workouts? Your data may not be as protected as you think. USA Today. [accessed 2021 Mar 1]. https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/2019/08/16/what-info-do-fitness-apps-keep- share/1940916001/
Image: https://pixabay.com/illustrations/running-watch-gps-activity-clock-1246430/
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