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Some users say they're getting rid of Fitbit because they don't trust Google

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Re: Some users say they're getting rid of Fitbit because they don't trust Google

#161

Post by JohnFen »

supercanuck wrote: post #55
MichaelApproved wrote: post #19

Classic example of an article in search of a movement. Take a handful of tweets that share an opinion and write an article that makes it seem like there's a mass exodus. It's ok, you don't need anything more than a handful of tweets to back your claim. Yes, some people are privacy conscious and are going to stop using Fitbit but how many are actually doing it? A lot? A few? Who knows. I'm sure author has no clue but…

What is wrong with using Twitter as a source? This is how people communicate in 2019 What method would serve you better?

> This is how people communicate in 2019

This is how a certain demographic communicates in 2019. Twitter does not represent society as a whole.

Re: Some users say they're getting rid of Fitbit because they don't trust Google

#162

Post by glial »

Retric wrote: post #23
MichaelApproved wrote: post #19

Classic example of an article in search of a movement. Take a handful of tweets that share an opinion and write an article that makes it seem like there's a mass exodus. It's ok, you don't need anything more than a handful of tweets to back your claim. Yes, some people are privacy conscious and are going to stop using Fitbit but how many are actually doing it? A lot? A few? Who knows. I'm sure author has no clue but…

I don’t know about anyone else, but I just got rid of my Fitbit and never spoke of it on social media. My guess is it’s limited a few thousand to low tens of thousands of people which is not economically meaningful on it’s own. But, it does show another side of the privacy debate. Many companies are selling data not because it’s significant revenue, but rather because they have no reason to leave money on the table.…

I got rid of mine, too. Surprised to see so many others here did.

Re: Some users say they're getting rid of Fitbit because they don't trust Google

#163

Post by JohnFen »

nevir wrote: post #96

After having worked at Google, it is the only company I actually do trust with my data. (But I am also ok with them using it to customize my experience, and even target ads) Their internal privacy controls are extensive. As a human, it is nearly impossible to access someone's data, even when debugging code/ML models/etc. And when you do need to, it requires exhaustive oversight/approval, and _everything_ is audited.

> Their internal privacy controls are extensive.

That may be true.

However, the quality of their internal controls has nothing to do with why I don't trust Google. I don't trust Google's official and company-sanctioned uses of my data.

Re: Some users say they're getting rid of Fitbit because they don't trust Google

#164

Post by ISL »

mavsman wrote: post #86
vader1 wrote: post #37

I bought a Garmin the day Fitbit sold out and haven't touched the Fitbit since. I'm very happy with the switch, the Garmin (Vivosmart 4) app and device are actually better than Fitbit's on almost every account, so that's a double win :) The only unfortunate consequence is that Garmin's import service only imports very coarse data from your Fitbit export, so all detailed historic records are lost unless you manually d…

Any idea how data exporting is with the Vivosmart 4? I thought about getting one but one of my main use cases for getting a fitness tracker is exporting data and then creating custom visualizations from it. I haven't dug into this world much yet but curious what the best hardware would be for this use case.

The exports from Garmin's Connect aren't always easy (though they improved at around the same time that GDPR came into force). At one time, it was necessary to download each day's dataset individually.

The FIT file format isn't fully documented (SDK has encumbrances and perhaps cost -- it's been a while since I checked).

Here are some of the tools I've used with Vivosmart HR and Fenix 3HR FIT files. They're not polished for easy usage, but they'll get a technically-skilled hacker started. The core is Kiyokazu Suto's 'fitdump' perl.

https://github.com/4kbt/ParseVivosmartHR

Re: Some users say they're getting rid of Fitbit because they don't trust Google

#165

Post by nkrisc »

9dl wrote: post #104
nkrisc wrote: post #5

I had recently begun considering a smart watch to replace my original Pebble, and was considering Fitbit, but this is exactly why I won't be going with them. I'm slowly De-Googling and spreading my digital life across multiple providers instead of being at the mercy of a single one. I don't expect my total privacy exposure will be significantly less, but it's more about not having my email, media purchases, phone int…

What for you will use "smart watch"? For real. There is not so much they can do and even less they can do properly

Same things I used my Pebble for.

Read and send canned responses to texts. See who's calling me. Read emails. Check bus/train schedule.

Basically an extension of my phone. You can debate the "smart" label if you like, but the semantics don't really concern me.

Re: Some users say they're getting rid of Fitbit because they don't trust Google

#166

Post by flattone »

Medicalidiot wrote: post #107
flattone wrote: post #29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If I buy anyone in my family a home speaker, or Fitbit, or other thing for holiday I'm getting laughed back into my car

Anecdotes don't necessarily correlate to populations.

They certainly don't but this entire discussion board is either people talking about their views and their experiences or sharing information and resources about things that correlate to populations so have I done something wrong here?

Re: Some users say they're getting rid of Fitbit because they don't trust Google

#168

Post by zeta0134 »

koheripbal wrote: post #129
x0x0 wrote: post #119

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I also deleted.

We are not representative of the general population, so our anecdotes are almost worthless.

Your anecdotes may be relatively worthless to a company as large as Google, but they may yet be quite valuable to an individual reading your words. Don't be afraid to share your thoughts; sometimes these smaller, more human interactions can make all the difference.

Re: Some users say they're getting rid of Fitbit because they don't trust Google

#169

Post by JohnFen »

tgv wrote: post #33
_jal wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"People" may have, but that does not mean Carpenter or other specific Fitbit owners did. There's the general and the specific.

Even the "general" interpretation is bloody wrong. People google more symptoms than their own, and not everybody uses google either. FitBit's data is valuable to any party trying to muscle themselves into siphoning some of that health care money. Google is on a war path, but many prefer to stick their heads in the sand.

I am not representative of the average person, of course, but when I think of the times that I've searched the web for medical symptoms, I'm pretty sure the it has never been because I myself was experiencing those symptoms. It's always been for educational or curiosity purposes.

Re: Some users say they're getting rid of Fitbit because they don't trust Google

#170

Post by kseifried »

MichaelApproved wrote: post #19

Classic example of an article in search of a movement. Take a handful of tweets that share an opinion and write an article that makes it seem like there's a mass exodus. It's ok, you don't need anything more than a handful of tweets to back your claim. Yes, some people are privacy conscious and are going to stop using Fitbit but how many are actually doing it? A lot? A few? Who knows. I'm sure author has no clue but…

I was planning to get a FitBit to replace my "veryfitpro" (it's cheap and waterproof) but cancelled that idea after Google announced the acquisition of FitBit. Now I'm seriously considering an Apple watch since they seem to be the only ones that are serious about privacy now and in the long term.
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