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The threat of re-identification has led privacy advocates to question the motives of companies that create health apps, which have not been proven to improve health.Īpple’s own health app, which caused a rift between Apple and Fitbit when it launched in 2014, also collects data about users’ health through iPhones and the Apple Watch, but the company said the data is encrypted and is not used for business purposes. But research has shown even anonymous information can be easily “re-identified.”Īdvocates say Google and other tech companies need to prove that only a small percent - if any - of the data they release can be rematched with individual users. Third-party businesses that purchase the data could also infer health-based behaviors and market their products accordingly.įitbit’s privacy policy prohibits the sharing of any identifiable information to prevent things like insurance companies denying patients health coverage or charging them a higher premium. Pharmaceutical companies could use the data to decide in which disease research they should invest their resources to develop profitable new drugs. Deborah Peel, the founder of the nonprofit advocacy organization Patient Privacy Rights. “Health data is the most valuable of all,” said Dr. Think of the targeted advertisements you might receive on various websites after you search for a pair of shoes on Google.Īnd even though Google said it will not use Fitbit data for ads, privacy advocates told the PBS NewsHour that there are plenty of other ways Google and its third-party partners can capitalize. provide Google vast amounts of personal data from which it can profit.
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Those acquisitions - in addition to its in-house products such as Google Maps and Google Search, along with the more than 124 million Android smartphones in use in the U.S. Over the past 15 years, Google has purchased more than 200 companies including YouTube, Waze and Nest Labs, a company that makes smart home devices. By acquiring Fitbit, Google expands the large pool of personal data it already collects. The San Francisco-based company Fitbit makes wearable devices that track the number of steps you’ve walked, your heart rate and quality of sleep, along with other personal wellness metrics.
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“Strong privacy and security guidelines have been part of Fitbit’s DNA since day one, and this will not change,” the company said in a press release.īut data privacy experts caution that, while those sentiments might reassure some customers about the potential use of their personal health data, current laws and regulations do little to hold Google and other companies to their promises. Google promised to be transparent about the data it collects and to “never sell personal information to anyone.” Google also said it will not use the health data for its own ads, and will give users the choice to “review, move or delete their data.”įitbit, which has more than 27 million active users, echoed that message. Google appeared to anticipate the fears, noting in its announcement Friday that “privacy and security are paramount” to the company. Google’s decision to buy the health tracking device company Fitbit for $2.1 billion is raising concerns over how users’ data will be used by the tech giant.