Research Question
Should consumers who purchase wearable technology have more control over the data being stored and sent to kept in databases
Introduction Wearable Technology can be seen everywhere nowadays. We see them in advertisements, movies, celebrities, and maybe some co-workers you work with. Wearable technology is becoming more and more popular every year and it's continuing to grow popular even now. I choose this topic because I personally find technology extremely fascinating and have noticed that people have started implementing technology on devices that we are able to have with us 24/7 . The topic was relevant an issue for me because I am currently pursuing the computer science program at school and I currently take computer
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Is it really harmless not to inform consumers that their daily fitness life is being recorded and used by companies to help "advance" their products? These privacy issues are undoubtedly ethical ones because invade the privacy of consumers. They also unaware that this is going on and need to be informed about this issue. They also lead to multiple questions: Is wearable technology less ethical than normal technology? Should a government forbid (or at least limit) the data be sent to these databases? Should wearable technology firms have a consent form for consumers to sign on the fact that your privacy is being accessed without your knowledge? Should a government be more precautious on the data that is being collected? We all know that ethics is the area of knowledge that tries to determine what is best for the individuals and their societies. I have found on the Internet that definition of the word that seems relevant in the context of my reflective project: Branch of philosophy dealing with values relating to human conduct, with respect to the rightness and wrongness of certain actions and to the goodness and badness of the motives and ends of such actions. …show more content…
Wearable technology has been a part of the world since the 1920's. However, it really didn't kick off as something big until the 1980's with the invention of the EyeTap created by Steve Mann. His invention started with microchips started being created, therefore allowing technology to be reduced in size, and creating wearable technology and other small technical things. Once the invention of microchips started, people were going crazy with creating new technology that was portable. It wasn't until late 2000 when apple and Nike collaborated and came up with the first fitness tracker on the iPod. After this, other fitness trackers were made but it wasn't really game changing and people wanted something new and better and that's when "pebble" came out with the first fitness / stylish watch in 2012 and now we see that fitness watches are becoming the thing now in the 21st century.
2014 was regarded "The Year of the Wearable" .Businesses, military forces and medical professionals have been using wearable technology for decades, but the private consumer market has only recently started to feature items such as smartglasses, smartwatches, wearables, fitness and health trackers or even smart jewelry and smart fashion. - The Statistics
Developers at Apple have combined the convenience of digital watches with cellphone technology to create a watch that user cannot not only keep time with but also makes phones calls, set calendar reminders, check the weather, and track their activity level.
Though Apple had an easier time making huge splashes in the consumer market for almost every of their products, the Apple Watch isn't poised to become a big hit. Though numbers are scarce, all signs point to it being a bust.
Wearable Augmented Reality (WAR) devices are defined as networked, multimedia computers that can be worn as glasses. They utilize “heads-up displays, sensors and earphones to provide an improved interface for these features by overlaying graphics, text, and sound on the physical world” [8]. WAR is a rapidly growing technology that has garnered attention from multinational corporations [2] to tinkerers who build Kickstarter projects [3] in their basement. In fact, the 2013 Emerging Technologies Hype Cycle released by Gartner in August 2013 mentions “Augmenting Humans with Technology” as one of six highlighted technologies [1]. Gartner speculates that narrowing the gap between humans and devices will result in productivity gains due to the workforce having quicker access to information.
Companies like Under Armour and Nike are investing a lot of money in big data wearables. This line of products allows consumers to track their physical performance throughout their day or throughout their workouts. Under Armour provides their consumers with bigger company’s like
The personal connection Americans have with their phones, tablets, and computers; and the rising popularity of online shopping and social websites due to the massive influence the social media has on Americans, it is clear why this generation is called the Information Age, also known as Digital Age. With the Internet being a huge part of our lives, more and more personal data is being made available, because of our ever-increasing dependence and use of the Internet on our phones, tablets, and computers. Some corporations such as Google, Amazon, and Facebook; governments, and other third parties have been tracking our internet use and acquiring data in order to provide personalized services and advertisements for consumers. Many American such as Nicholas Carr who wrote the article “Tracking Is an Assault on Liberty, With Real Dangers,” Anil Dagar who wrote the article “Internet, Economy and Privacy,” and Grace Nasri who wrote the article “Why Consumers are Increasingly Willing to Trade Data for Personalization,” believe that the continuing loss of personal privacy may lead us as a society to devalue the concept of privacy and see privacy as outdated and unimportant. Privacy is dead and corporations, governments, and third parties murdered it for their personal gain not for the interest of the public as they claim. There are more disadvantages than advantages on letting corporations, governments, and third parties track and acquire data to personalized services and advertisements for us.
Fitbit was founded in 2007 by James Park and Eric Friedman with the purpose of using wireless technology to improve a person’s fitness and health according to the About Us page in Fitbit.com. Fitbit would fall within the digital technology industry that focuses on improving health and wellness of individuals. I would also classify Fitbit as an Internet of Things (IoT) device because it is Internet-enabled and shares and captures data without human involvement. Fitbit’s competitive advantages include being the first to market with a wearable technology that is widely accepted by general consumers. Fitbit was able to increase their market share significantly due to their first-mover advantage. Another competitive advantage for Fitbit includes
With future revenues predicted to reach $53 billion, firms want to capture market shares by driving brand awareness to increase consumer revenue. Fitbit and competing products deliberately target the market segment of consumers who are physically active, comfortable with technology, and use social media. In addition, each of the
There are various legal standards that must be followed by Fitbit in the labeling of products. Fitbit makes sure that it notifies its consumers that Fitbits should not replace medical devices and that the information provided by its products does not hold any medical standing as well as to use common sense while using the Fitbit products (Terms of Service, 2015). This labeling is important because without notifying its users of these terms, Fitbit could be held liable for any health risks that users experience by relying on Fitbit products.
With the recent popularity and introduction of various products such as the Fitbit, Garmin’s Vivoactive, and Android’s smart watches, Apple releasing the Apple Watches definitely kept up with the smart watch trend. The Watch’s massive presence in the market has allowed it to not only match many of the qualities of other watches, but in a way surpass them with the apps, and marketing programs it has implemented into the design and functionality of the Watch.
Like all other areas of health care, ethical issues arise in the use of information technology. Some areas of concern include principles of privacy, the patient’s right to autonomy and decision-making in the management of their personal health information, and the concepts of fairness and equality in access to care in which ethics can inform the provider’s strategies and decisions. The primary sources of standards and implantation specifications for health information security and privacy are Health Information Portability and Accountability Act’s (HIPAA) Privacy and Security regulations. The delivery of safe, high-quality health care necessarily involves the collection, use, retention, and sharing of individual consumers’ most private information.
Ethics of Big Data Big data has been a buzz word in recent times but unfortunately it is not as benign as it sounds. Big data refers to the collection and storage of large amounts of data that can be used for analysis in various applications. The ethical problem with big data stems from the potential applications of this data and the methods of collection. While there are obvious downfalls to big data, the potential benefits for companies and users of that big data far outweigh the negatives, making it ethical. For the individual software engineers who create the software that collects a user’s data, is it moral for them to do so?
Personal data is quickly becoming a commodity in today's high technology world. This information is used by banks, investment and brokerage companies, credit card merchants, government agencies (local, state and federal), and consumer product-based companies. Most people probably don't realize the amount of information that's shared between companies, or how often it's done. Many companies sell and share customer data to help sell products and find out what new products they should produce. Other uses include gathering information about inventory levels to help better determine what types of products are bought at which store, when and how often. This can be used for inventory and production, to make sure that the store (or stores for chains, like Safeway and Long's Drugs) can have the products available when they're needed.
Wearable computing is the next step to the computer revolutionary world. At MIThril lab, they are working on a wearable computer. Like a sleeveless winter coat or a sweater, they are working toward they goal. With the complicated project, they don’t know the finishing line yet. But with every step the MIThril team takes, they freely document and post on the web for worldwide access. The name MIThril derives from the fictional classic The Hobbit and Lord of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien. As comfortable and unnoticeable as the Dwarves’ ring-mail tunic, MIThril’s team promises our gifted society the future clothes of electronic.
In today’s world, the Fitbit and Apple Watch trend are taking over. It seems as if everyone has a device that will track their step progress, their heart rate, and their calories. Some individuals may think that these devices are bad because they are a distraction, but physical education teachers think differently. PE teachers think that the devices can be helpful because it will make the child want to reach their step goal for the day. Children love to feel like winners, so the teachers could put on competitions in their physical education classes for the child who reaches the highest heart rate or the most steps first.
Over the years we have competed for the best figure, best face, best outfit....and now we have finally come down to battling over the best wrist! Fortunately, there isn’t much to be done here. Just flaunt a smart watch and voilà! you are part of the competition. Then again, a smart watch isn't a 'smart looking watch' its typically a 'watch with cool inbuilt technology' invented by some of the leading brands in the market.