by Now there’s one problem with trackers and smart watches today it is that they leak your information like a syrup or they can according to a study from the University of Toronto’s Citizen Lab at the Munk school of Global affairs.
Highlighting a study titled “ Every Step you Fake: A Comparative Analysis of Fitness Tracker Privacy and Security which says that one such tracker or Smart watche is keeping your personal info away from anyone who want to intercept it.
That one is Apple Watch
The study looked at security factors related to the data fitness trackers broadcast over Bluetooth connections. They look at the Apple watch along with fitness trackers from FitBit, Garmin, Jawbone, Basis, Withings, and Xiaomi.
Most of the devices tested transmitted data in a way that could be easily intercepted and in some cases falsified data could be sent to the companion smart phone app.
The study also showed the data sent from the smart phone to online services could be intercepted for all devices except the Apple Watch and the Basis Peak.
The Apple watch was the only wearable tested that used existing Bluetooth protocols designed to prevent someone from intercepting wireless transmissions.
Who Cares Where I walk Or How Many Steps I Take?
Who cares how many steps you take probably no one but if your fitness tracker or smart watch is also logging locations and times well that’s information of a more sensitive nature.
A stalker, for example, could wait in a coffee shop every day to surreptitiously capture the data from someone’s fitness tracker, and if it includes location information, they potentially could learn where someone works or lives. That’s not a likely scenario, but is a possibility in some cases.
Source – TMO
At least there is a simple fix. Device makers need to incorporate Bluetooth privacy standards, you know the ones that Apple’s using.
They also need to encrypt any data sent between devices and smart phones as well as the data passed on to web-based servers according to the piece.
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