Written December, 2014
We are currently attached to (literally and figuratively) multiple technologies that monitor our behaviors. The fitness tracking craze has led to the development of dozens of bracelets and clip-on devices that monitor steps taken, activity levels, heart rate, etc, not to mention the advent of organic electronics that can be layered, printed, painted, or grown on human skin. Google is teaming up with Novartis to create acontact lens that monitors blood sugar levels in diabetics and sends the information to healthcare providers. Combine that with Google Glass and the ability to search the Internet for people while you look straight at them and you see that we’re already encountering social issues that need to be addressed. The new wave of wearable technology will allow users to photograph or record everything they see. It could even allow parents to view what their children are seeing in real time. Employers are experimenting with devices that track (volunteer) employees’ movements, tone of voice, and even posture. For now, only the aggregate data is being collected and analyzed to help employers understand the average workday and how employees relate to each other. But could an employer require their workers to wear devices that monitor how they speak, what they eat, when they take a break, how stressed they get during a task, and then punish or reward them for good or bad data? Wearables have the potential to educate us, protect our health, as well as violate our privacy in any number of ways.
Seven in ten U.S. adults track a health indicator for themselves or for a loved one (Pew Research Center, 2013), so let’s think about the implications.
Resources:
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7 Urgent Ethical Dilemmas for Wearable Tech (Laptop, 2014)
- A Periodic Table Of Wearable Technology (TechCrunch, 2015)
- Why Wearable Technology is Fuelling Data Addiction (The London Economic, 2015)
- Verizon Might Be Planning to Launch Two LG-Branded Wearables Aimed at Kids (Digital Trends, 2015)
- Smartly dressed: the future of wearable technology (ABC.au, 2015)
- Glasshole or Not? 7 Urgent Ethical Dilemmas for Wearable Tech (Laptop Magazine, 2014)
- Wearable tech 2.0 aims to alter mind, body (San Jose Mercury News, 2015)
- New wearable technology can sense appliance use, help track carbon footprint (EurekAlert, 2015)
- I tried a brain-altering wearable that allows users to change their moods on demand (Quartz, 2015)
- Pentagon to invest $75M in wearable tech (Washington Times, 2015)
- The Ethics of Innovation and Devices for Good (UNICEF, 2015)
- The Struggle for Accurate Measurements on Your Wrist (MIT Technology Review, 2015)
- Lumo Raises $10 Million Series B, Starts Building Wearables Partnerships (Tech Crunch, 2015)
- The History Of Wearable Technology – Past, Present And Future (WT Vox, 2015)
Wearable tech at work
- Companies Are Putting Sensors On Employees To Track Their Every Move (Business Insider, 2013)
- Google Glass Required? Wearable Tech Hits the Office (Business News Daily, 2013)
- Influx of Wearable Technology in the Workplace Causes Security, Support and Bandwidth Issues says New Ipswitch Survey (realwire, 2015) Ipswitch survey results
- Wearables in the Workplace (Harvard Business Review, 2013)
- A High-Tech New Way for Your Boss to Follow You Everywhere (Bloomberg, 2014)
- Why Your Boss Wants to Track Your Heart Rate at Work (Bloomberg, 2015)
A direct line to your doctor, for better or worse
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Google Smart Contact Lens Focuses On Healthcare Billions (Forbes, 2014)
- An Early Look at Wearables for Life & Living Benefits Insurance (InsuranceNewsNet, 2015)
- Beware a future where health monitoring by wearables is the norm (The Guardian, 2015)
- 3 Ways Wearable Tech is Shifting the Role of the Patient (Tech.co, 2015)
Legal and privacy concerns
- Wearable technology: will legal issues spoil the party? (Information Age, 2015)
- Wearable technology—Opportunity or nightmare? (Communication World Magazine, 2014)
- Wearable technology creates new privacy issues for employers (ComputerWeekly.com, 2014)
- Wearable Technology Creates New Legal Problems (The Legal Intelligencer, 2015)
- How Wearable Tech Could Spark A New Privacy Revolution (TechCrunch, 2015)