Smartwatches, the next level of biometric surveillance

Those who are into the latest gadgets or fitness programs and devices will be aware that smartwatches have progressed dramatically over the past few years from a notification extension of a smartphone to a fully blown autonomous GPS cell tower and Wi-Fi enabled tracking device, you know like  the ones they put on criminal’s ankles.

To take it to the next level of surveillance, your heart rate together with your blood oxygen level and even ECG can be uploaded to a corporation’s server for governments and other corporations to exploit.

Are you really in control of data you have given away?

A few generations (in computing terms) ago, say in 2016 smartwatch data could be accessed via Bluetooth where the corresponding app was programmed in such a manner that no external data collection point was necessary in order for the app to function together with the watch.

The Android operating system version of the year also did not require a GPS location to function.

There is ZERO technical reason for a Bluetooth device to have to function together with location services.

The corporations (Apple, Google, Fitbit, Fossil, Garmin, Huawei, LG, Samsung, Withings etc) that mandate this function, are anti your privacy, and support the nanny state agenda.

Today Australian consumers are given very little choice when it comes to privacy, where retailers only stock smartwatches where the consumer MUST log into an external entity’s servers in order to be able to operate their new smartwatch, an action which is either mandated by the watch manufacturer or the smartphone operating system manufacturers, that being Apple and Google.

This action is extremely privacy invasive, where the data is easily available for misuse.

Wouldn’t it be hilarious when (as opposed to if) a life insurance company obtains your ‘fitness’ data generated from your smartwatch, where it indicates that you are a regular consumer of McDonald’s food like products which contributed to your weight gain, diabetes or heart disease where as a result your family will not obtain a payout (when you keel over) despite the fact that you payed this company handsomely for the privilege.

Will you spend an exorbitant amount of cash for corporations to have your fitness data?

MANY Aussies have and also shall do in the future.

IGNORANCE  is bliss, right,?

On a plus side for your privacy:

Programmers have created apps that are open source which connect to some smartwatches and fitness bands where the user does not have to log into a company’s server in order to obtain data from their own device.

See https://gadgetbridge.org/ and https://asteroidos.org/