Wearable tech devices are useful for many things, including tracking fitness goals (a feature David Sedaris recently critiqued in The New Yorker). But just how handy is it when these same devices sell your information to insurance companies, thus upping your premiums based on detailed analysis of your liquor input and fitness output?
As Apple Inc. prepares to debut its long-anticipated "iWatch"Apple Watch wearable this week, Al Sacco brings this issue to the forefront in a recent article in CIO. He says that although no one really reads the privacy policies included with wearables, “the reality is that privacy policies have never been more important,” as they allow companies to collect, and even sell, your information.
To help ease the legalese, Sacco spoke to some experts about how to read these policies and what to look for. Here are his tips:
Look for two main things: Electronic Frontier Foundation staff technologist Jeremy Gillula says users should be on the hunt for two things when reading wearable privacy policies: what specific data is being collected and what the company is doing with it. He says to be particularly cautious of policies stating the company is sharing the information with third parties or partners. “That is usually a red flag,” he notes. “They’re giving the information to other parties. From there, who knows where it goes?”
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