This watch feature matters more than all the rest.
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So, this is frightening and new. While we’re all aware that our phones track most of what we do, selling our data to hone the ads that plague our lives, there’s actually a more sinister tracking threat that we carry with us at all times. Before you buy the new Apple Watch or any of its competitors, there’s something you need to know.
In a new report, vpnMentor warns “your smartwatch is more than just a fitness tracker — it’s a window into your daily life. It monitors your heart rate, logs your sleep patterns, detects signs of stress, and even records your alcohol consumption. But where does all that sensitive data go? Who gets to see it and what do they do with it?”
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The vpnMentor team “examined 117 wearable devices from 33 major brands, including Apple, Fitbit, Samsung, and Huawei.” Health and fitness data is extraordinarily sensitive when harvested to sell ads. But so is your precise location, and “roughly 63% of the wearable devices analyzed record location data.”
None of this data should be sold. And “many wearable technology companies claim they don’t sell your data.” But vpnMentor warns that “while this may technically be true, some still share your information (even if it is sometimes anonymized) with service providers, research groups, or advertisers.”
But much of this is not being done secretly. Many of these watchmakers are open about the fact that they’re harvesting your data for sale. Seven of the brands tested “explicitly share or sell personal data to marketing partners or third-party advertisers. These are Samsung, Huawei, Xiaomi, Amazfit, Meta Quest, Ray-Ban Meta, and Tile/Life360.”
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vpnMentor
The two that don’t are Google (surprisingly) and Apple (less so). “Google explicitly declares not to use health data for advertising, whereas Apple shares data only with user permission.” Oura, Withings, Microsoft and WHOOP are also good citizens.
vpnMentor warns that “while it’s reassuring that the majority of the companies examined in this study refrain from sharing users’ personally identifiable information, it’s concerning that major players like Samsung, Fitbit, Huawei, and Xiaomi openly disclose personal data for advertising purposes.”
When it comes to Samsung, this isn’t the first report of its kind. As Mozilla warns, “just beware, Samsung may share or sell personal information. This adds a whole new meaning to their slogan, ‘A watch that’s watching out for you’.”
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More alarmingly, the Mozilla Foundation also warns “if you have a child please don’t create a Samsung account for them.,” pointing out that “what Samsung says they can collect and share on your child if you create an account for this is crazy.”
If you’re in the U.S., you can tell Samsung not to sell or share your data here.
Apple’s new watch is due to be confirmed on September 9. And while speculation is rife around new features and specs for the Apple Watch Series 11, there’s one that matters more than any of this. Your data is not being harvested and sold. And that easily beats any competing watch that can’t make the same claim.