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Nike+ FuelBand: Possibly a Big Security Hole For Your Life

Posted by Soulskill on from the youtube-generation-wouldn't-even-flinch dept.

MojoKid writes "Nike+ FuelBand is a $149 wristband with LED display that tracks your daily activity, tells you how many calories you've burned, lets you know how much fuel you have left in the tank, and basically keeps track of 'every move you make.' If you think that sounds like a privacy nightmare waiting to happen, it pretty much is. A source directly connected to Nike reported an amusing, albeit startling anecdote about a guy who got caught cheating on his girlfriend because of the Nike+ FuelBand. 'They shared their activity between each other and she noticed he was active at 1-2AM, when he was supposed to be home.' That's just one scenario. What if the wristband gets lost or stolen? How much data is actually stored on these sorts of devices? And remember, you're syncing it to the cloud with an iOS or Android app."

8 of 162 comments (clear)

  1. what is the point of this article? by YesIAmAScript · · Score: 5, Informative

    Yes. It keeps track of what you're doing. You know this because you can see the data it captures.

    And yes, if you share what you're doing with someone else, they might notice you aren't doing what you're supposed to be doing.

    I don't understand the constant alarmism.

    --
    http://lkml.org/lkml/2005/8/20/95
    1. Re:what is the point of this article? by Jah-Wren+Ryel · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Yes. It keeps track of what you're doing. You know this because you can see the data it captures.

      Yes, you can see the data that it captures. What you can't see is all of the things which that data may reveal about you in the hands of someone motivated enough. Don't confuse the forest with the trees - the anecdote about the guy getting caught cheating is not about the risk of getting caught cheating, it is the risk of "20/20 hindsight." In retrospect it is obvious that his data would reveal something like that to a suspicios girlfriend. But at the time it was not so obvious, it isn't like he deliberately uploaded a message that said "having sex with another girl @1am" to the nike website.

      Pervasive data collection is extremely new, we as a society have not figured out all of the risks involved. Contrast that to "living in a small town" - because society has had millenia of experience with that situation we generally have a good understanding of the risks involved. It is going to take a lot of people finding out the hard way what the problems are with pervasive data collection before we, if we ever, come to understand the trade-offs that come along with it.

      --
      When information is power, privacy is freedom.
  2. This is FUD by DesertBlade · · Score: 5, Informative

    I actually own a Fuelband, unlike to poster and the original story. It is basically a pedometer, sensing motion, nothing else. No or any other thing to guide them to my house. It sends information to the cloud, but has a lot less info than facebook. You can actually sign up for an account its free and see how little is actually stored. I be more worried about the data on my phone or in my wallet, both which will lead someone to my house, than on this thing.

    --
    Half of writing history is hiding the truth.
    1. Re:This is FUD by Nimey · · Score: 5, Funny

      pedometer

      o.0 That's disgusting!

      --
      Hail Eris, full of mischief...

      E pluribus sanguinem
    2. Re:This is FUD by 93+Escort+Wagon · · Score: 5, Funny

      Didn't you read the summary? It tracks every move you make, just like GPS vehicle trackers, RFID door keys, and a jingle bell on your kid's shoelace. Clearly this is something worthy of widespread panic.

      Not just every move you make - also (per the summary) it tracks every step you take, every vow you break, and every smile you fake.

      It'll be watching you.

      --
      #DeleteChrome
  3. Re:Just desserts? by drinkypoo · · Score: 5, Informative

    I'd pay $150 for a wristband that could ONLY tell me accurately how many calories I've burned.

    Well, this can't do that. In fact, it can't do much of anything.

    --
    "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
  4. Re:That's more tracking than intensive probation by jhoegl · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Clearly, the guy who was wearing the band forgot to take it off when he was into his laborous other activities.
    This shows the ignorance people have of technology more than anything else.
    This is how you subjugate a populace... make sure they are ignorant, make sure they get a benefit out of something, and then hide the real reason.
    I mean, it worked for that one guy with the ring in that documentary I saw.

  5. Re:That's more tracking than intensive probation by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    *sigh* The Lord of the Rings was not a documentary.