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Big Pharma Hands Out Fitbits To Collect Better Personal Data
An anonymous reader writes: Since the dawn of modern medicine, there have really only been two ways to know what a medical patient is doing: A) keep them around and monitor them, or B) ask them. The first is often impractical, and the second is fraught with misreporting. However, we're now in the age of data collection, and medical data is no exception. Pharmaceutical companies are gleefully passing out Fitbits and other wearables so they can more accurately test the drugs they make. Early trials have already found such devices to be better than human memory at reporting things like how much a patient walks. Other organizations are using movement data to algorithmically decide whether a patient needs a higher level of treatment. The article optimistically adds, "Down the line, wearables also could help pharmaceutical makers prove to insurance companies that their treatments are effective, thus reducing health costs."
How dare big EVIL Pharma collect accurate information that could ensure the safety of drugs and save people's lives!
It's an outrage!
I'm fairly certain these would be installed at birth by big pharma if they could wrangle an ethical argument past legislators.
Happiness in intelligent people is the rarest thing I know.
Ernest Hemingway
Wouldn't insurance companies stand to benefit from the same information? After all, it's in their best interests to establish the 'risk' of a patient on their bottom line...
I don't really trust pharmaceuticals... probably because of too many sci-fi movies that say "You found the cure? Great! now break it a little bit so we can 'treat' them forever instead..." Not that insurance is much better, but at least they'd rather folks be healthy...
Read your fitbit Eula, won't be long until they'll have a shopping cart feature on your data.
These are just drug companies, after all. Not some ad agency trying to monetize your privacy.
biometric technology originally fascinated and excited me. After spending 2 months hacking the fitbit flex and fitbit one im all but broken. the system uses asymmetric cryptography to ensure you never have independent access to the data it collects. the transmission protocol it uses is simple, ANT in most cases, but the private key to decrypt my footsteps and data lies solely on their servers. One would think that without independent evaluation of the data its gleaning, most major pharmaceuticals and insurance companies would be wary but that doesnt appear to be the case. like breathalizers and OBD/ECM monitors from car insurance companies, no one seems interested in their accuracy.
my last 3 jobs have offered these fitbits. the first one, an option, subsidized the device. The next two jobs basically ordered it for me and stated that if i wanted a discount on my health insurance, id better strap in. the privacy policy for fitbit outright states theyre going to sell your data to other companies, like it or not. So why do people put up with this? does anyone know of an open-source and accurate alternative for the fitbit?
Good people go to bed earlier.
Has /. been bought out by WholeEarthHonestReportingNews?
Or is neutrality and stories without conspiracy theories just passe these days?
The article optimistically adds, "Down the line, wearables also could help pharmaceutical makers prove to insurance companies that their treatments are effective, thus increasing health profits."
Fixed.
Thus reducing health costs [for increased profits].
This is the thin edge of a wedge. There are several large corporations who already mandate periodical blood exams and other invasive health exams to stay on the company health plan. This is coming for all of us, sadly. It will come under the guise of "saving money", "better targeted health care", and of course, "it's for the children". No. Just say no.
I will, of course, refuse and "mandatory" screenings just to have health care, which, in my opinion, is a basic human right. I see Soylent Green, forced taking of Prozium (Equilibrium reference) or something similar. I'm not a conspiracy theorist but there are people in high places that want to control people. They think they are smarter than we are, that we need shepherding, that they are enlightened thinkers. Newsflash: no one is an enlightened thinker. It's bunk, snake oil, call it what you will.
... "Big Pharma".
because I "walk" 8 miles a day when I am coding. It detects my typing style as walking.
Do not look at laser with remaining good eye.
that their treatments are effective, thus reducing health costs."
Never has something which is shown to be effective reduced costs. It's like being a safe driver yet your car insurance goes up every year.
The only ones who will see the savings are the companies themselves. It will not "trickle down" to us peons.
Remember how forcing people to hand over their money to private companies via Obamneycare was supposed to make health insurance less expensive? How's that working out?
We will bankrupt ourselves in the vain search for absolute security. -- Dwight D. Eisenhower
and get them gone before they raise your work comp & disability insurance rates.
simple as that.
Are there no privacy concerns here? Ah, heck no! We only monitor how long you walk. Not where you walk, and what you do when you get there. Oh, bouncing around for a half hour burning up a few calories? What could that be? ...
Better living through pharmaceuticals!