Millions of people are using “smart” watches, which collect biometric information including blood pressure, physical activity levels, body temperature, menstrual cycles and much more, unaware of the possible misuses of that data. If you have been thru and airport, casino, or have a drivers license, your face has been scanned for facial geometry.
Combined with purchasing patterns, geo location, and search history, this gives the data industry unprecedented insight into your most personal issues. The automation of everything now wants those intimate health details. Think of the money that hasn’t been made!
This is a new category on the blog, so much more to come, but while you’re here, see how Amazon will soon be lowering health care prices and quality. [Bloomberg, paywalled]
This report on Facial Recognition use in the public and private sector prepared by the Research Group of the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada lays out most of the issues that have come to pass. Written nearly 10 years ago, it is a good read and quite insightful pointing out that today’s issues were already well known at that time.