
Users fear for privacy after Google buys Fitbit - LinuxBender
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2019/nov/05/fitbit-google-acquisition-health-data
======
dang
This doesn't add significant new information over the HN threads on the topic.
In fact the HN threads might as well be a primary source for it.

[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21418232](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21418232)

[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21378471](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21378471)

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judge2020
This type of headline isn't healthy, 'tossed my Fitbit in the trash' is almost
implying it's a solution to Google now having your Fitbit data; in reality,
the article goes into the correct way to perform this: deleting your fitbit
account.

~~~
johnchristopher
Last time I checked you still needed a fitbit account to use the device
though.

What are the alternatives ? MS band ? Apple watch ? xiaomi ?

~~~
sandstrom
I've asked myself the same thing. After some digging I've found Withings that
looks fairly promising:

[https://www.withings.com/us/en/pulse-
hr](https://www.withings.com/us/en/pulse-hr)
[https://www.withings.com/us/en/steel-hr-
sport](https://www.withings.com/us/en/steel-hr-sport)

Though they are still gathering a lot of data. It feels better than
Fitbit/Google, but I wish they'd spend some time on encryption / privacy.

For example, all the GPS data, that's useful for showing a map of the run and
measure the distance, but certainly doesn't need to go on their servers. They
should encrypt the GPS points and only send the shape (vector path) to their
servers. That would contain info about distance, but not where in the world
the person was running.

Similar things could be done for other things.

~~~
manicdee
A vector path is just a jigsaw puzzle piece. There are only so many places in
the world where you’d have a certain shape dictated by local streets,
footpaths and bridges.

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heroprotagonist
I'm a lot less worried now, actually. Google's model doesn't include the
outright sale of data. The way Fitbit was going, I thought they'd lose control
of it somewhere.

~~~
foobarian
They scrape email for cross selling already, I could totally imagine seeing
them use heart rate data to segment their audiences by happiness. Then they
can show you ads when you are more likely to convert when you are
happy/awake/resting etc. Slimy but not without precedent.

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craftoman
One of the worst things that ever happened to the internet it's called Google.
This rogue CIA backed crap that violatates every single day your privacy data.
I was one step from buying a Fitbit watch and spend $200 but after Google made
it's move I stepped back.

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pbalau
Everyone and their cats are looking at Google to see if they are misusing
private data.

Nobody cares what Fitbit is doing with the data.

But lets trust Fitbit more than Google.

~~~
sys_64738
FitBit has your health data but not all the other data about you which Google
is squirreling away. If you have an email address for Gmail against your
Fitbit info then that health data is now available to be merged with all your
other data. It can then be sold to anybody who offers enough for it or you
will start to get ads for health products when Google starts analyzing your
health info.

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lez
I can't wait for the time when users fear for their privacy when they buy a
non-free hardware with non-free software installed on it.

