Fitbit Charge 5
If you want to hit your personal best and kick life’s butt, you’ve already wasted too much time reading this sentence. Your metabolic rate has dropped 2% lower than a sprinting cheetah. Just kidding. This GPS tracking, heart rate monitoring, sleep tracking, stress managing, stairs climbed, calories burned, swim proof fitness tracker pairs with your phone and computer to tell you if you are, indeed, kicking life’s butt (or if life is kicking your butt instead). Good luck with that!
What could happen if something goes wrong?
As of January 14, 2021, Google officially became the owner of Fitbit. That worried many privacy conscious users. However, Google promised that “Fitbit users’ health and wellness data won't be used for Google ads and this data will be kept separate from other Google ad data” for at least 10 years as part of the deal with global regulators. However, Fitbit and Google announced in 2022 that a Google account will be required for some uses of Fitbit starting in 2023. And in 2025, Google accounts will likely be required to use a Fitbit, indicating Google has plans to bring Fitbit users into the Google ecosystem as much as they can.
What’s this mean? Well, Fitbit can collect a good amount of data, as most fitness trackers do. They say they collect things such as name, email address, phone number, birthdate, gender, height, weight, location, wi-fi access points, and of course all the body related data like steps, activity, sleep, stress, calories burned, and more. Fitbit also says they can collect data from third parties social media sites like Facebook and Google if you choose to connect them (please, don’t) and from employers and insurance companies if you choose to share to receive wellness benefits or discounted or free services (again, not a good idea).
How does Fitbit use all this personal information it collects? Well, the good news is their privacy policy says they never sell your data. They also say they can share your personal information with advertising partners for targeted, interest-based advertising across the internet, which isn’t good news. And they say they can use that information to make inferences about you to show you more relevant content -- like using your sleep data to show you content to help you sleep better, which I’m pretty sure wouldn’t actually help me sleep better. So yeah, your Fitbit data is being used to show you ads and keep you using the platform as much as possible. Not surprising, but not great either.
Fitbit also says it can share non-personal information that has been de-identified or aggregated. This is pretty common, but still, can be a bit of a concern as it’s been found to be pretty easy to de-anonymize these data sets and track down an individual’s patterns, especially with location data. So, be aware with Fitbit--or any fitness tracker--you are strapping on a device that tracks your location, heart rate, sleep patterns, and more. That's a lot of personal information gathered in one place.
What’s the worst that could happen with a Fitbit and all the personal and health related data it can collect? Well, in 2021 it was reported that health data for over 61 million fitness tracker users, including both Fitbit and Apple, was exposed when a third-party company that allowed users to sync their health data from their fitness trackers did not secure the data properly. Personal information such as names, birthdates, weight, height, gender, and geographical location for Fitbit and other fitness-tracker users was left exposed because the company didn't password protect or encrypt their database. This is a great reminder that yes, while Fitbit might do a good job with their own security, anytime you sync or share that data with anyone else including third party apps, your employer, or a insurance company, it could be vulnerable.I don’t know about you, but I don’t need the world to know my weight, how well I sleep, and where I live. That’s really dang creepy.
Tips to protect yourself
- Follow Fitbit's advice to keep your stats private
- Be very careful what third party companies you consent to share you health data with. If you do decided to share your health data with another company, read their privacy policy to see how they protect, secure, and share or sell your data.
- Stop sharing friends' lists: Under “Friends” on your profile page, select Privacy Setting and then Private.
- Do not sign up with third-party accounts. Better just log in with email and strong password.
- Chose a strong password! You may use a password control tool like 1Password, KeePass etc
- Use your device privacy controls to limit access to your personal information via app (do not give access to your camera, microphone, images, location unless neccessary)
- Keep your app regularly updated
- Limit ad tracking via your device (eg on iPhone go to Privacy -> Advertising -> Limit ad tracking) and biggest ad networks (for Google, go to Google account and turn off ad personalization)
- Request your data be deleted once you stop using the app. Simply deleting an app from your device usually does not erase your personal data.
- When starting a sign-up, do not agree to tracking of your data if possible.
Can it snoop on me?
Camera
Device: No
App: Yes
Microphone
Device: No
App: Yes
Tracks location
Device: Yes
App: Yes
What can be used to sign up?
Yes
Phone
No
Third-party account
No
According to Google, a Google account will be required for some uses of Fitbit starting in 2023, with all users likely needing Google accounts to use Fitbit in 2025. "In 2023 we plan to launch Google accounts on Fitbit, which will enable use of Fitbit with a Google account. After the date of this launch, some uses of Fitbit will require a Google account"
What data does the company collect?
Personal
Name, date of birth, gender, photo (optional)
Body related
Heart rate, movement, sleep data, menstrual cycle, and more
Social
Fitbit connections
How does the company use this data?
How can you control your data?
What is the company’s known track record of protecting users’ data?
In 2021 Fitbit's security measures did not prevent the major data leak of 61 million fitness tracker data records, including Fitbit user data, by the third-party company GetHealth. In September 2021, a group of security researchers discovered GetHealth had an unsecured database containing over 61 million records related to wearable technology and fitness services. GetHealth accessed health data belonging to wearable device users around the world and leaked it in an non-password protected, unencrypted database. The list contained names, birthdates, weight, height, gender, and geographical location, as well as other medical data, such as blood pressure.
In 2020, it was reported the emails and passwords of nearly 2 million Fitbit users was leaked online.
Child Privacy Information
Can this product be used offline?
User-friendly privacy information?
Despite being acquired by Google, Fitbit keeps its own privacy policy, written in relatively simple language.
Links to privacy information
Does this product meet our Minimum Security Standards?
Encryption
Strong password
To create a Fitbit account, users are required to provide strong, complex, passwords during onboarding.
Security updates
Manages vulnerabilities
Privacy policy
FitBit Coach and FitBit Care services are said to be based on Machine Learning
Is this AI untrustworthy?
What kind of decisions does the AI make about you or for you?
Is the company transparent about how the AI works?
Does the user have control over the AI features?
Dive Deeper
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Fitbit Setup RequirementsFitbit
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Fitbit users will be forced to migrate to Google accounts by 2025The Verge
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Fitbit Increases Security Requirements, Mandates Google Login From 2023Infosecurity
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Google’s New Plan to Make Fitbit Data More Useful for HealthcareHealth Tech Insider
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2 Million Fitbit Accounts Were Exposed by CybercriminalsHackerNoon
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Standard Privacy Report for FitbitCommon Sense
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Google Now Owns Fitbit: What It Means For Your Fitness Data PrivacyForbes
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61M Fitbit, Apple Users Had Data Exposed in Wearable Device Data BreachHealth IT Security
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Google closes $2.1B acquisition of Fitbit as Justice Department probe continuesFierce Healthcare
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Here's what your Fitbit knows about youAvast
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Fitbit Joins GoogleFitbit
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