Following the recent news around the complaints about the privacy policies of four fitness wristband companies, Lee Munson, security researcher at Comparitech.com comments:
“Norway’s consumer watchdog has, today, come out and said what many security and privacy professionals have at least been thinking for quite some time: the companies behind wearable fitness devices are collecting way too much personal information.
“While the collection of personal data is in itself a huge issue, the watchdog also rightfully highlights the lack of control and transparency over how that data is used.
“In a world where usable and wearable devices in and around the home are now collecting enough data to make accurate predictions about who someone is, where they will be at any given time, and the state of their emotional, physical and mental health, such information is of extreme value to advertisers.
“Until consumers become as concerned as the Norwegian watchdog about the potentially dark path this is leading toward, manufacturers of all data-grabbing devices are likely to become as pervasive as they possibly can in the quest to turn every facet of our lives into a marketing opportunity.”