Wearables can be a helpful tool, but some warn that the privacy of the data they compile might be compromised. How worried should you be?
That fitness-tracking device on your wrist may soon be charting your bottom line as well as your health, as a growing number of insurance companies and employers offer financial incentives to people who use the gadgets.
The conversation about data privacy has become more intense over the past year, following a series of high-profile data breaches from companies such as The Home Depot, JP Morgan Chase, Kmart and Staples. The massive theft of data from some 78 million customers of insurance company Anthem, revealed in February, has put the spotlight on the security of medical data, just as wearable technology is growing ever more mainstream.
“These companies do actually try quite hard to keep the data private and safe, to the extent that you can,” said Sonny Vu, CEO of fitness-tracker company Misfit.
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“You don’t know it’s safe – if someone really wanted to hack in and get this data, they could."
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