Towards Privacy-Aware Research and Development in Wearable Health

Wearable sensor technology has the potential to transform healthcare. The investigation and testing of sensors in the commercial sector offer insight into ways to leverage biometric data, to improve individual health through the better products and to advance the public good through research. \ \ However, research with wearable sensor data must be done in a manner that is respectful of ethical considerations and privacy. Not only will the processes that govern this research define the potential public good derived from wearables, they will encourage user trust in wearables and promote participation. The research and development (R&D) teams at companies are not just engines of innovation but also have the potential to be an important part of our social infrastructure. The Center for Democracy & Technology (CDT) embarked on a yearlong partnership with Fitbit. CDT gained rare access to the company’s data policies and practices to build recommendations on privacy and ethics.