When Apple announced the much anticipated Apple Watch this September, the company highlighted some notable health and fitness features of the product that Apple execs think could make wearable technology actually appealing to an average consumer. But the U.S. Federal Trade Commission has some concerns about how Apple will prevent sensitive health data being collected by the smartwatch from being used without the owners’ consent, Reuters reports.
Aside from the rather odd feature of sending the heartbeat of one watch-wearer to another, the Apple Watch includes useful and basic health monitoring features like a heart rate monitor, exercise reminders and a sensor that alerts wearers if they have been sitting for long periods of time.
But Apple also developed a new HealthKit platform that puts all of a user’s health data in one place. Everything from blood sugar and cholesterol levels to an emergency card with a user’s blood type, allergies, medications and medical conditions are in the HealthKit. The program also allows users to enable other applications to access this data.
That may make the security of one’s health information dependent on a user’s discipline in reading privacy agreements and small print.
Health data—like birth date, medical diagnosis, billing information, types of medication used—are some of the most highly valued but insufficiently guarded information about a person. Medical information is worth 10 times more than credit card numbers on the black market and cyber criminals are increasingly targeting the $3 trillion U.S. healthcare industry, security experts say.
Apple says that users “decide what information is placed in Health and which apps can access your data through the Health app. When your phone is locked with a passcode or Touch ID, all of your health and fitness data in the Health app is encrypted.” Users can also “back up data stored in the Health app to iCloud.”
The FTC has met with Apple representatives multiple times in recent months over their concerns about the risks of health data made vulnerable outside of a medical context. There are no signs that FTC intends to launch a formal investigation, however. But the fact that the agency is communicating their concerns with Apple highlights their worries over how the information will be protected.
Apple did recently update its guidelines for app developers, stating that apps working with HealthKit were not allowed to store data on iCloud, assess data to give users treatment advice, or use data for most advertising purposes, among other rules.
All told, the capabilities of the Apple Watch — and its possible privacy and security breaches — are still largely unknown. Apple wants to use the watch to revolutionize technology’s sensory capabilities and the company is only beginning to unveil the health-related features of the product.
Apple plans to release its smartwatch in either early or spring 2015.
