Garmin Bounce

Garmin has bounced right into the smartwatch for kids game with their new Garmin Bounce (yes, that was cheesy, we know). For parents who want to be able to always keep close tabs on their kids, Garmin's new smartwatch for kids allows you to always keep track of their location in real time, text message, two-way voice message, send them reminders to check-in, and give access to up to 20 contacts who can also contact, locate, and message your kids. All this means the new Bounce comes with LTE connectivity that requires a $10 a month subscription plan though their Garmin Jr app. Good for parents who worry...bad for kids who want some privacy. The good news is, Garmin is better at privacy than many of the other smartwatch for kids makers out there.

O que pode acontecer se algo der errado?

When your *Privacy Not Included researcher wanted to get a fitness tracking smartwatch to see how stressed out reading privacy policies made her, Garmin is what she went with. Because Garmin seems to do one of the best jobs handling the privacy and security of all the personal data fitness trackers collect, at least according to their really not that stressful privacy policy. The Garmin Bounce comes with it's own Garmin Jr app privacy policy too. So, more privacy policies to read, more stress...still, Garmin pretty good.

Here’s what this privacy researcher really likes about Garmin. Yes, they do collect a good bit of personal information through the device and on the Garmin Connect and Garmin Jr apps because that’s what a fitness tracking smartwatch does. It’s good to know parents aren’t required to use the real name of their child when setting up the apps. Still, two apps (Garmins says, "When you create your family profile in the Garmin Jr. app, your Garmin Connect name will be used as your admin name in the Garmin Jr. app.") is not exactly better than one, especially when it comes to data collection. These apps collect data like email address, device information, location, gender and all that body related data like physical activity, stress, sleep patterns, heat rate, pulse ox, and more. The good thing is, yes, they collect it, but they also seem to protect it.

Garmin says they don't sell data and they don't share your personal information for advertising purposes with third parties without your consent. They ask you to opt-in rather than opt-out of consent to receive marketing communications from them. And their privacy policy is actually pretty good at laying out what data they collect, clearly explaining why they collect it, and how it is used.

Garmin also seems to do a pretty good job securing the personal information they collect. However, they did suffer that very public ransomware attack in 2020. Ransomware attacks suck and it seems no company is safe from them these days. Good news though, no user data was actually compromised in that attack, so, once more, good work Garmin.

Garmin has been on our Best Of list for a number of years. And we're pleased to say, in 2023, it seems they've gotten even better (which is amazing when so many other companies are getting worse). We were very happy to see that the one gripe we had with Garmin in the past -- the fact that they didn't clearly state they grant all people, regardless of where they live and the privacy laws they live under, the same right to delete their data -- got fixed in 2023.

Garmin actually reached out to us about that and when we pointed out that they didn't clearly state that, they said they would take a look. And now we see this lovely line on their Data Protection Rights page, "Depending on where you reside, you may have rights under applicable laws, subject to conditions and restrictions provided in those laws. Regardless of where you reside, you can access, correct, export, or delete your personal data (including deleting your entire Garmin account) by visiting our Account Management Center." Great work Garmin! This is the kind of care about privacy for everyone, not just the people you're required to grant privacy rights to, that we LOVE to see. (Also, a note to toot our own horn a bit: This is what happen when we point out the issues we see to companies -- sometimes the good ones make change.)

Is your intrepid privacy researcher happy with her decision to get a Garmin fitness tracker? Yes, she is. Although it does make her a little nervous that she now leaves her phone's Bluetooth on all the time. But hey, knowing that body battery score is really cool! And shoot, any smart watch that's good enough for the US Space Force is good enough for us (we joke, we joke!)

What’s the worst that could happen with your Garmin Bounce fitness tracking smartwatch for your kids with real-time location tracking, text messaging, and two-way voice messaging built-in? Well, hopefully nothing. But, strapping a location tracking, speaker and microphone listening, LTE connected device to your child comes with some serious potential privacy and security concenrs, for sure. Garmin might be one of the good guys, but remember, nothing that connects to the internet is ever 100% safe and secure. Also, beware if you link your data to other third party apps like Strava and MyFitnessPal. Those apps come with their own privacy policies and every time you share your personal information with someone else you increase the vulnerability of that personal information.

One final consideration. This device tracks the activity and sleep of a child, and has a microphone strapped to their wrist. Parents should ask themselves, is this information something I want gathered and potentially accessible to others if there were a data leak or security vulnerability? Also, we think there is a good question to be raised about teaching young children that this level of digital surveillance in their lives is OK. Maybe we should track kids a little bit less, and teach them constant surveillance isn’t a good thing?

Dicas para se proteger

- Parents, keep a sharp eye on parent controls and permissions.
- 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.
- 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.

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Pode me bisbilhotar? informações

Câmera

Dispositivo: Não

Aplicativo: Sim

Microfone

Dispositivo: Sim

Aplicativo: Sim

Rastreia localização

Dispositivo: Sim

Aplicativo: Sim

O que pode ser usado para se inscrever?

Que dados a empresa coleta?

Como a empresa usa esses dados?

Privacy Policy for Garmin Jr. App

"We may process and disclose personal data about you and your children to others: (a) if we have your valid consent to do so; (b) to comply with legal and regulatory obligations, such as a valid subpoena, court or judicial order, other valid legal process, or record keeping to support applicable reporting and auditing requirements; (c) to investigate potential fraud and enforce any of our terms and conditions or policies; or (d) as necessary to pursue available legal remedies or defend legal claims.

We may also transfer your and your children's personal data to an affiliate, a subsidiary, or a third party in the event of any reorganization, merger, sale, joint venture, assignment, transfer, or other disposition of all or any portion of our business, assets, or stock, including, without limitation, in connection with any bankruptcy or similar proceeding, provided that any such entity that we transfer personal data to will not be permitted to process your personal data other than as described in this Privacy Policy without providing you notice and, if required by applicable laws, obtaining your consent."

"Other Garmin Jr. app users will be able to see your profile. Users who are not your Connections will be able to see the family name you choose in your profile, your admin name, the name of any additional parent or guardian you have added to your profile, and the number of children you have added to your profile. Users who are your Connections will be able to see the same information plus the names you have provided for your children in your profile. "

"If you have subscribed to location tracking services for your family, we use a third party, Twilio, to facilitate communication-related features. We also use Google Maps to facilitate location tracking features."

"We also use services from third parties such as Alibaba Cloud (mainland China only) to help identify inappropriate or harmful content uploaded by users. We provide personal data to such services only if included in the user's uploaded content."

Garmin is a global business. To offer our products, apps, and services, we may need to transfer your personal data to Garmin-owned companies in other countries. View Garmin-owned companies. ... All Garmin-owned companies are required to follow the privacy practices set forth in this Privacy Policy."

Garmin Privacy Policy

"If you choose to enable your account to access accounts you have with other app providers, such as your MyFitnessPal, Strava, or TrainingPeaks account, we will obtain information about you from such account, such as the number of calories consumed in a particular day based on information from your MyFitnessPal account or courses and segments from your Strava account."

"If you provide your opt-in consent to receiving marketing information from us, we will also process your email address for the purpose of sending you marketing information about our products, services, and apps, as well as newsletters. The legal ground for processing your email address for this purpose is your consent. You may withdraw your consent at any time by changing your preferences in your account or through the unsubscribe link at the bottom of our marketing emails. The marketing emails you receive from us are based on the preferences you provide in your account, the locale indicated by your Internet Protocol (IP) address, the types of devices you have added to your account, and any subscriptions included in your account. The legal ground for processing this data for this purpose is our legitimate interest in reducing the number of marketing emails sent to each particular customer by selecting which customers receive a particular marketing email rather than sending every marketing email to every customer who has consented to receiving marketing emails. If you reside in mainland China, we may use your mobile phone number to send you marketing communications via SMS."

According to Garmin written statement to us, "Garmin doesn’t share any data collected from a user’s device with third parties unless the user directs us to do so. Some users wish to connect their Garmin accounts with their accounts on other platforms, such as Strava or MyFitnessPal, and we share a user’s data with such other platforms if directed to do so by a user."

Garmin Connect Privacy Policy
"If you choose to authorize us to permit a third party, such as your wellness program provider, or an app, such as MyFitnessPal, Strava, or TrainingPeaks, to access your activity data in your Garmin account, then we will share such data with the third party. We will not do this without your explicit consent. Once you direct us to share data with a third party, the third party's handling of your personal data is the responsibility of that third party, and you should carefully review the third party's privacy policy. You can choose to stop sharing data with the third-party app, platform, or service provider at any time within your Garmin account."

"We may process and disclose personal data about you to others: (a) if we have your valid consent to do so; (b) to comply with legal and regulatory obligations, such as a valid subpoena, court or judicial order, other valid legal process, or record keeping to support applicable reporting and auditing requirements; (c) to investigate potential fraud and enforce any of our terms and conditions or policies; (d) as necessary to pursue available legal remedies or defend legal claims; or (e) as we deem necessary or appropriate for purposes of attempting to get you help in the event you are involved in an emergency situation."

Como você pode controlar seus dados?

Privacy Policy for Garmin Jr. App

"Within the Garmin Jr. app, you may access and delete your child’s information. Garmin also provides a self-service portal, the Account Management Center, to allow you to access, export, correct, or delete your and your child’s data at any time. The Account Management Center requires you to sign in with your Garmin credentials to ensure that only you can manage data and exercise rights on behalf of yourself and your child."

"We will retain your personal data as long as your Garmin account is considered to be active or in accordance with applicable law and regulatory obligations. In addition, see below under "Manage Your Family Data" for information on how to delete your family data or account."

Data Protection Rights page
"Regardless of where you reside, you can access, correct, export, or delete your personal data (including deleting your entire Garmin account) by visiting our Account Management Center."

Privacy Policy for Garmin Connect and Compatible Garmin Devices

"We will retain your personal data as long as your Garmin account is considered to be active or in accordance with applicable law and regulatory obligations. In addition, see below under “Manage Your Data” for information on how to delete your data or account."

"We provide a self-service portal, the Account Management Center, to allow you to access, export, correct, or delete your data at any time. The Account Management Center requires you to sign in with your Garmin credentials to ensure that only you can manage your data and exercise your rights."

Qual é o histórico conhecido da empresa na proteção de dados dos usuários?

Médio

They did suffer that very public ransomware attack in 2020. No user data was compromised during this attack.

Informações de privacidade infantil

"We request individuals under the age of 13 in the U.S. and under the age of 16 in the rest of the world not provide personal data to Garmin. If we learn that we have collected personal data from a child under the age of 13 in the U.S. or under 16 in the rest of the world, we will take steps to delete the information as soon as possible."

Este produto pode ser usado offline?

Sim

Informações de privacidade fáceis de entender?

Sim

Links para informações de privacidade

Este produto atende aos nossos padrões mínimos de segurança? informações

Sim

Criptografia

Sim

Garmin devices and apps use a combination of asymmetric and symmetric encryption appropriate to the nature and function of the product, and data stored/transmitted.

Senha forte

Sim

In order to use companion apps, an account with a strong password is required.

Atualizações de segurança

Sim

Gerencia vulnerabilidades

Sim

Política de privacidade

Sim

O produto usa inteligência artificial? informações

Não

"We do not make any decisions based on algorithms or other automated processing that significantly affect you."

*Privacidade não incluída

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