How Nest and FitBit Might Spy On You For Cash

Nerval's Lobster writes: "Forbes offers up a comforting little story about how Nest and FitBit are planning on turning user data in a multi-billion-dollar business. 'Smart-thermostat maker Nest Labs (which is being acquired by Google for $3.2 billion) has quietly built a side business managing the energy consumption of a slice of its customers on behalf of electric companies,' reads the article. 'In wearables, health tracker Fitbit is selling companies the tracking bracelets and analytics services to better manage their health care budgets, and its rival Jawbone may be preparing to do the same.' As many a wit has said over the years: If you're not paying, you're the product. But if Forbes is right, wearable-electronics companies may have discovered a sweeter deal: paying customers on one side, and companies paying for those customers' data on the other. Will most consumers actually care, though?"

Comments

Nobody cares

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Google gives us great products and services, and minds the privacy that we actually care about. With the data they aggregate they provide services that would be possible in no other way. Google is just not creepy. You know what is creepy? The marketing company trying at great expense to sell us the idea that Google is creepy. That is creepy. Who are they?