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How Nest and FitBit Might Spy On You For Cash

Posted by Soulskill on from the don't-let-them-take-your-analog-shoelaces dept.

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?"

8 of 93 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Nobody cares by ColdWetDog · · Score: 5, Funny

    You know whats creepy? People trying to tell me that other creepy people aren't really creepy because other creepy people really are creepy.

    It's creepy all the way down.

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    Faster! Faster! Faster would be better!
  2. Depends on if it is in aggregate. by captaindomon · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Will they care? It all depends on the data being shared is in aggregate. I don't care if people know that the average person in my city walks a thousand steps a day, and that still has a lot of value for health care companies, and I'm happy to contribute to that. I *DO* care if they know the details about me *individually*. There is a big difference.

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    Just because I can hook a shark from a boat, I do no offer to wrestle it in the water.
  3. Will it matter? by fuzzyfuzzyfungus · · Score: 5, Interesting

    You start with the ones who don't care, give them discounts on their insurance premiums or electric bill or whatever. Over the course of a few years, you futz with the prices until it's less of a 'discount' and more 'the only way to approach the price you used to get'.

    At that point, the ones who do care can either suck it up and wear whatever herd-management-solution you feel like telling them to, or they can pay (probably increasingly steeply) to maintain their precious little objections.

  4. Not the same, but tangentially related... by mmell · · Score: 3, Interesting
    Snapshot from Progressive Insurance. Start by giving them a break in return for some seemingly innocuous monitoring; sooner or later, they'll either start requiring it or they'll start expanding the data they're allowed to collect and sell. What, you thought they were doing all this wonderful stuff just to save you money?

    Remember folks - first hit of the crack pipe's free . . .

    1. Re:Not the same, but tangentially related... by simtel · · Score: 3, Insightful

      If someone has to habitually hard-stop, then there is a very good chance that they're habitually driving too fast for conditions and/or not leaving enough space to stop in. This data is being used to establish the driving habits of the user - and as such the one or two 'avoid accident' stops will become outliers. It's the habits that push people into the higher risk pools, not the outliers.

  5. Might? by WillAffleckUW · · Score: 3, Interesting

    I'm already seeing ads for managers offering to sell me this information.

    I'm not sure you realize that it's already being marketed, not "will be" marketed.

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    -- Tigger warning: This post may contain tiggers! --
  6. Nest not selling data by forand · · Score: 3, Informative

    The article is very misleading. Nest is working with some power companies which offer their customers financial incentives to allow the power company to dial back their AC units during high load times. Pepco in DC offers the same service but you have to pay for their thermostat. This isn't selling user information this is letting the power companies access their customers' thermostats if and only if that customer allows it. Nothing in the article says anything else is happening than this but states it in a very deceptive way. If the article actually had some evidence of something more nefarious it would be fine but as it is just doesn't stand up.

    This is a link to the Nest program: https://nest.com/energy-partne...

  7. Re:Overcollection by Fruit · · Score: 3, Informative

    The reason for that is to allow people to control their Nest using their smartphone. And the reason they can't connect to their Nest directly is NAT. Of course it's naive to assume that this practice will stop if IPv6 ever takes off, but one can dream.