Racial Bias in Mass-market Wearables
Controversy already surrounds wearable fitness trackers, such as those made by Fitbit, Apple, Garmin, Samsung, or Oura, for their poor privacy practices. However, there is little public concern around potential biases in many of these trackers’ features. In this report, I will discuss just two features with evident bias: PPG-based heart rate monitoring, and accelerometer-based activity tracking. Minority groups miss out on wearables’ espoused benefits due to their poorer accuracy for such groups. They may also suffer physical and psychological harms, as these technologies contradict users’ own senses, push them to over-exercise, or fail to flag serious cardiovascular problems.
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All-out social media bans are harmful for kids and adults, but there's a more effective, privacy-respecting option...