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Fitbit is now officially part of Google

blog.fitbit.com

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Re: Fitbit is now officially part of Google

#221

Post by HDMI_Cable »

hajile wrote: post #128
freedomben wrote: post #82

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes, I am against jail for non-violent crimes. I'm open to modern non-medieval ideas even for violent crimes. I don't have the answers there, but I wish there were more people caring about this. So far it seems to be only the far left (I don't consider that an insult) and anarcho-capitalists, but I wish more people that fall into the middle somewhere (like myself) would think about this. Usually people don't think ab…

Let's say someone steal a billion dollars through fraud and hide it. What should be done? Should they just walk free? There's a difference between non-violent crimes (white collar crimes usually) and victimless crimes (possessing a small amount of controlled substances).

First things first, they could pay back the $1 billion?

Re: Fitbit is now officially part of Google

#222

Post by xenihn »

at-fates-hands wrote: post #218
xnx wrote: post #191

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm replying in agreement that this is also my opinion. Google could do bad things with my data in the future, but, to date, there is no company I trust more. Contrary to a very vocal crowd on HN, rankings of most loved brands show that many people like Google https://morningconsult.com/most-loved-brands-2020/

Liking a company != trusting a company with your data.

I would argue there is a correlation between liking and trusting. Not just data specifically, but overall trust. I'd think data would fall under the umbrella.

Re: Fitbit is now officially part of Google

#223

Post by blisterpeanuts »

rvz wrote: post #153

Translation: Google now has access to all your fitness and health data and will be integrated into Google Fit. No thanks and no deal.

Five or six years ago, I would have said, "Great! Now my Fitbit will be better integrated with Android and my Google ecosystem. Plus it will inject some much needed stability into a faltering company, to bolster the quality and advance their products. Yay!"

Now I think about the fact that I just looked someone up on contacts.google.com, then added a visit with them to calendar.google.com, and talked with them about it via gmail.com. They know so much about me already, and now they'll have my health history.

The only silver lining is that their security is probably better, and my data is less likely to be hacked and stolen.

But otherwise... Looking forward to a nice Linux/open software fitness watch, from a Kickstarter or other effort, so some of us can take better control of our data.

Re: Fitbit is now officially part of Google

#224

Post by IgorPartola »

echelon wrote: post #211
IgorPartola wrote: post #186

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Apple has entered the chat. I am sure you’ve heard the argument before: Google is an advertising company. Using your data to sell you products is why they have your data. The more they can get, the higher their profits. Apple is a hardware company. They don’t want your data and store it begrudgingly because to them it’s nothing but liability. Whenever they can, they will encrypt your data in a way they can’t access i…

Neither. Apple is attempting to steal the concept of computing and turn it into a protected, arcane art. You can't even run your own software on a device you own. That's a sure sign of a company that loves you and has your best interests at heart. Apple is just as cutthroat as any. They only want your money.

Last I checked your Google Home wasn’t exactly open either :)

They are both cutthroat but Apple specifically has taken a stance on privacy.

Re: Fitbit is now officially part of Google

#225

Post by IgorPartola »

gman83 wrote: post #197
IgorPartola wrote: post #186

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Apple has entered the chat. I am sure you’ve heard the argument before: Google is an advertising company. Using your data to sell you products is why they have your data. The more they can get, the higher their profits. Apple is a hardware company. They don’t want your data and store it begrudgingly because to them it’s nothing but liability. Whenever they can, they will encrypt your data in a way they can’t access i…

Based on what you wrote I would say Google, because they have so much more to lose. That data is really really valuable to them, whereas to Apple it isn't really.

The point is that it’s not their data and they shouldn’t have it in the first place. It’s your data. I mean do what you want, but I believe your logic here is based on fundamentally incorrect initial assumptions.

Re: Fitbit is now officially part of Google

#226

Post by hedora »

Vermeulen wrote: post #15

I don't understand the fear of Google from FitBit users in these comments. Google has a clear user agreement with how they use your data, including not selling it - and they rely on users trusting them. I'd rather my data be with one of the tech giants than a unprofitable start up

Google doesn't sell personal information in the same way that Amazon doesn't sell cloud computing, and Microsoft doesn't sell software.

Also, Google has the capability to do much more damage with my personal information than most other organizations on earth.

Ultimately, I don't trust them, and I can't opt out of their data collection. (Yes, I've seen their opt-out page. It doesn't stop them from building ad profiles when I browse third party sites, mapping my back yard, discriminating against me with ReCaptcha, mapping my wifi ssid location without my consent, or doing countless other things I'd rather they not do, and that I never gave them permission to do.)

Re: Fitbit is now officially part of Google

#227

Post by IgorPartola »

confiq wrote: post #215
gman83 wrote: post #197

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Based on what you wrote I would say Google, because they have so much more to lose. That data is really really valuable to them, whereas to Apple it isn't really.

exactly this ^! remember thefappening? Imagine what shitstorm would be if that would happen to google...

The point isn’t which protects your data better from outside breaches (though I would argue Apple does a better job of protecting its phones), but how they use your data and who they can expose it to. Apple provides storage. Google sifts through your data to help them direct you towards products from which they can get kickbacks. It’s not some external entity that you have to worry about. It’s the company to whom you send all your data. And this isn’t conjecture. The only reason Google collects all that data is so they can advertise to you better. The only question is whether you trust that they’ll keep that data usage on the right side of your personal ethical line in the sand. I don’t think Google would sell your dick pics to a third party to make a quick buck. But I also wouldn’t put it past them to use them to figure out what kind of porn you like and help sex toy manufacturers to target you in their ads.

Re: Fitbit is now officially part of Google

#228

Post by tpmx »

wayne wrote: post #132

I wonder how engineering integration works for an acquisition this size (Wikipedia: ~1694 employees). Google interviews test for very specific things so it's unlikely every engineer in Fitbit would have passed. Fitbit's big enough that I doubt you'd re-interview every engineer and doing that would scare engineers away, but Fitbit's not big enough where you'd let Fitbit continue to do their own thing for a long period…

My first reaction: 1.7k employees at Fitbit? Wow, SV has gone crazy.

Re: Fitbit is now officially part of Google

#229

Post by at-fates-hands »

aboringusername wrote: post #42

One thing that confuses me is why this data needs to be stored within the internet at all. Why can't I have an entirely offline driven system? Data stays local, no ability to upload it online at all, and all processing is done without ever needing the internet. That's a key criteria if I ever was thinking of getting a smart wearable, I'm not going to generate even more data that can be profited from and potentially u…

I use Suunto fitness tracker and all my data is under the protections of the company which is located in Finland. Since they are a member of the EU, GDPR rules apply to personal data retention as well as other privacy data laws they also have.

It may not be much, but I feel a lot more at ease using their products than what Fitbit is going to be handing over to Google.

Re: Fitbit is now officially part of Google

#230

Post by blacklight »

Although I criticize Google many times and I try to avoid their products as much as possible, I don't have many alternatives at hand for products like WearOS and Google Fit.

And both of them have had major usability, integrations and stability issues over the years that are hard to ignore.

In an ideal world, I wish that small companies like Fitbit could compete with Google and Apple and release good all-inclusive smartwatches that developers can use to bukld good general-purpose apps, with a well-designed interface, and that are also very solid fitness trackers.

Unfortunately we aren't in an ideal world though, so I can just hope that this acquisition helps bringing some proper vision in the current chaos that reigns in the WearOS and Fit departments.

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