I've worn a Garmin for 10+ years and logged thousands of runs, rides, hikes...you name it.
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I've worn a Garmin for 10+ years and logged thousands of runs, rides, hikes...you name it. That data can also tell you where I live, where I've traveled, and when I've been under stress.
After reading @zackwhittaker 's recent story on Oura ring's lack of transparency reporting, I was curious about the current state of other wearables.
I looked at 12 major wearable brands to see who publishes transparency reports (aka the documents that tell you how often a company hands your data to the government).
2 out of 12 do: Apple and Google/Fitbit.
Privacy and transparency of fitness tracking devices
TL;DR: Here’s a transparency reporting tracker for 12 health/fitness wearable brands. Introduction I’ve worn a Garmin GPS device for well over a decade. I’ve logged thousands of activities–runs, rides, swims (ugh), walks, hikes…you name it. If I’ve moved, it’s probably been logged. It’s fascinating to look back at this data periodically to see how my fitness has changed over time, and I love being able to monitor progress toward big goals.
(whyli.me)
Wearable Device Government Data Transparency Tracker
Tracking which wearable health and fitness device companies publish transparency reports on government data requests.
(emilyaustin.github.io)
@mle @zackwhittaker [1] Thank you for sharing! This matters more than most people realize.
In March 2026, a French naval officer jogged on the deck of the Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier and uploaded his Strava data. Within hours, the carrier's precise location near Cyprus was publicly traceable. One fitness app. One smartwatch. One run.
The problem isn't the technology. It's the legal vacuum around it.
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@mle @zackwhittaker [1] Thank you for sharing! This matters more than most people realize.
In March 2026, a French naval officer jogged on the deck of the Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier and uploaded his Strava data. Within hours, the carrier's precise location near Cyprus was publicly traceable. One fitness app. One smartwatch. One run.
The problem isn't the technology. It's the legal vacuum around it.
@mle @zackwhittaker [2] Of 12 major wearable brands, only 2 publish transparency reports. The rest operate in silence — no disclosure of how often they hand your data to governments, insurers, or third parties. GDPR offers the strongest framework, but consent is buried in 40-page documents nobody reads. In the US, wearable health data sits entirely outside HIPAA. There is no equivalent protection.
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@mle @zackwhittaker [2] Of 12 major wearable brands, only 2 publish transparency reports. The rest operate in silence — no disclosure of how often they hand your data to governments, insurers, or third parties. GDPR offers the strongest framework, but consent is buried in 40-page documents nobody reads. In the US, wearable health data sits entirely outside HIPAA. There is no equivalent protection.
@mle @zackwhittaker [3] I would genuinely welcome an AI that analyzes my health data privately, on-device, with zero cloud exposure. The technology exists. The barrier isn't engineering — it's that the business model depends on your data leaving your device.
The question isn't whether to use these tools. It's whether the legal infrastructure will ever catch up to what the technology already knows about us.
Digital abstinence is not a solution. Enforceable transparency is.
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R relay@relay.an.exchange shared this topic
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@mle @zackwhittaker [3] I would genuinely welcome an AI that analyzes my health data privately, on-device, with zero cloud exposure. The technology exists. The barrier isn't engineering — it's that the business model depends on your data leaving your device.
The question isn't whether to use these tools. It's whether the legal infrastructure will ever catch up to what the technology already knows about us.
Digital abstinence is not a solution. Enforceable transparency is.
@tanyelcakmak @mle @zackwhittaker it's niche compared to these giants, but the revival of the #Pebble watch and their commitment to FOSS for PebbleOS running on the watch and the iOS and Android apps is refreshing (https://ericmigi.com/blog/pebble-watch-software-is-now-100percent-open-source/)
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@tanyelcakmak @mle @zackwhittaker it's niche compared to these giants, but the revival of the #Pebble watch and their commitment to FOSS for PebbleOS running on the watch and the iOS and Android apps is refreshing (https://ericmigi.com/blog/pebble-watch-software-is-now-100percent-open-source/)
@henrikbengtsson @mle @zackwhittaker Thank you for this! Open source and auditable is exactly the right direction. Pebble's revival is on my radar now — will follow the project closely.
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@henrikbengtsson @mle @zackwhittaker Thank you for this! Open source and auditable is exactly the right direction. Pebble's revival is on my radar now — will follow the project closely.
@henrikbengtsson @mle @zackwhittaker My wearable after sport
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I've worn a Garmin for 10+ years and logged thousands of runs, rides, hikes...you name it. That data can also tell you where I live, where I've traveled, and when I've been under stress.
After reading @zackwhittaker 's recent story on Oura ring's lack of transparency reporting, I was curious about the current state of other wearables.
I looked at 12 major wearable brands to see who publishes transparency reports (aka the documents that tell you how often a company hands your data to the government).
2 out of 12 do: Apple and Google/Fitbit.
Privacy and transparency of fitness tracking devices
TL;DR: Here’s a transparency reporting tracker for 12 health/fitness wearable brands. Introduction I’ve worn a Garmin GPS device for well over a decade. I’ve logged thousands of activities–runs, rides, swims (ugh), walks, hikes…you name it. If I’ve moved, it’s probably been logged. It’s fascinating to look back at this data periodically to see how my fitness has changed over time, and I love being able to monitor progress toward big goals.
(whyli.me)
Wearable Device Government Data Transparency Tracker
Tracking which wearable health and fitness device companies publish transparency reports on government data requests.
(emilyaustin.github.io)
@mle @zackwhittaker Great work. What about “secondary” site that a lot of user sof these devices use to sync their data to, like TrainingPeaks, Strava, and a few others, etc? Is there any information available for these?
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I've worn a Garmin for 10+ years and logged thousands of runs, rides, hikes...you name it. That data can also tell you where I live, where I've traveled, and when I've been under stress.
After reading @zackwhittaker 's recent story on Oura ring's lack of transparency reporting, I was curious about the current state of other wearables.
I looked at 12 major wearable brands to see who publishes transparency reports (aka the documents that tell you how often a company hands your data to the government).
2 out of 12 do: Apple and Google/Fitbit.
Privacy and transparency of fitness tracking devices
TL;DR: Here’s a transparency reporting tracker for 12 health/fitness wearable brands. Introduction I’ve worn a Garmin GPS device for well over a decade. I’ve logged thousands of activities–runs, rides, swims (ugh), walks, hikes…you name it. If I’ve moved, it’s probably been logged. It’s fascinating to look back at this data periodically to see how my fitness has changed over time, and I love being able to monitor progress toward big goals.
(whyli.me)
Wearable Device Government Data Transparency Tracker
Tracking which wearable health and fitness device companies publish transparency reports on government data requests.
(emilyaustin.github.io)
@mle @zackwhittaker damn, Garmin is very famous for their military watches even the legionstories.com 's author recommended them.
Both Apple and Google don't have military grade watches. Like zero durability...
We need libre military grade watches seems like...
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I've worn a Garmin for 10+ years and logged thousands of runs, rides, hikes...you name it. That data can also tell you where I live, where I've traveled, and when I've been under stress.
After reading @zackwhittaker 's recent story on Oura ring's lack of transparency reporting, I was curious about the current state of other wearables.
I looked at 12 major wearable brands to see who publishes transparency reports (aka the documents that tell you how often a company hands your data to the government).
2 out of 12 do: Apple and Google/Fitbit.
Privacy and transparency of fitness tracking devices
TL;DR: Here’s a transparency reporting tracker for 12 health/fitness wearable brands. Introduction I’ve worn a Garmin GPS device for well over a decade. I’ve logged thousands of activities–runs, rides, swims (ugh), walks, hikes…you name it. If I’ve moved, it’s probably been logged. It’s fascinating to look back at this data periodically to see how my fitness has changed over time, and I love being able to monitor progress toward big goals.
(whyli.me)
Wearable Device Government Data Transparency Tracker
Tracking which wearable health and fitness device companies publish transparency reports on government data requests.
(emilyaustin.github.io)
@mle @zackwhittaker has anyone tried the new open source pebble watches?
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I've worn a Garmin for 10+ years and logged thousands of runs, rides, hikes...you name it. That data can also tell you where I live, where I've traveled, and when I've been under stress.
After reading @zackwhittaker 's recent story on Oura ring's lack of transparency reporting, I was curious about the current state of other wearables.
I looked at 12 major wearable brands to see who publishes transparency reports (aka the documents that tell you how often a company hands your data to the government).
2 out of 12 do: Apple and Google/Fitbit.
Privacy and transparency of fitness tracking devices
TL;DR: Here’s a transparency reporting tracker for 12 health/fitness wearable brands. Introduction I’ve worn a Garmin GPS device for well over a decade. I’ve logged thousands of activities–runs, rides, swims (ugh), walks, hikes…you name it. If I’ve moved, it’s probably been logged. It’s fascinating to look back at this data periodically to see how my fitness has changed over time, and I love being able to monitor progress toward big goals.
(whyli.me)
Wearable Device Government Data Transparency Tracker
Tracking which wearable health and fitness device companies publish transparency reports on government data requests.
(emilyaustin.github.io)
@mle It looks like most of the info is 3 years old, but Mozilla also has privacy scoring for a smattering of wearables: https://www.mozillafoundation.org/en/privacynotincluded/categories/wearables/
@zackwhittaker -
@mle @zackwhittaker Great work. What about “secondary” site that a lot of user sof these devices use to sync their data to, like TrainingPeaks, Strava, and a few others, etc? Is there any information available for these?
@recollir @zackwhittaker I haven't done a deep dive into these, but I have been thinking a lot about Strava lately, especially in the context of the "secret" locations (military bases, etc.) Strava uploads/workouts have betrayed. Not quite in the same vein, but still very interesting imo.
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R relay@relay.infosec.exchange shared this topic
