Your FITBIT and your safety

[Grahamcombat]

U.S. soldiers are revealing sensitive and dangerous information by jogging - The Washington Posthttps://apple.news/ANuuMAQXOT3iALcpiX1ExJA

[bedlam]

I'm amazed how many people are happy to give corporations all this data on their personal habits and movements. Between Fitbit and Facebook they have your life mapped.

[59yukon01]

^^^Another reason I use neither.

[rockmastermike]

Add to that Alexa and her family and smart TV's.....I mean why wouldn't I want active listening devices throughout my home recording and sending my conversations to the highest bidder either the Feds or Advertisers or both

We don't have to worry about our houses being bugged - we do the work for them.

[dnslater]

Pretty easy to simply get a GPS watch so you know your distance and simply don't sync it to the internet.

[Sidheguitarist]

How do people still not know this is happening when they use apps like this? Amazing, really.

[jswing]

Hmmm, I wear a fitbit. I'm not sure I'm concerned with anyone knowing how much exercise I do, or where I hiked this morning. I can see an issue with the Strava app potentially projecting military activity, but as an individual user, I don't see the harm. That said, I don't have an Alexa, my smart tvs are not connected to the internet, and I don't participate in any social media beyond a couple watch forums.

[Ryeguy]

My wife loves her Echo (Alexa), but I see it as more of a gadget than any real beneficial technology.

The exception to this is for my friend who is blind. She has her Echo hooked up to her "smart house" so she can change her thermostats (how else is a blind person supposed to set room temp? A question I hadn't thought of before) and change the TV channels, listen to music, etc.

The FitBit stuff is interesting. I'm actually shocked the US military / Intelligence community allows personnel to wear transmitting devices such as this. It seems it would be fairly simple to identify clandestine locations by tracking these personnel movements (especially in places where fitness trackers aren't popular in the local community, i.e. Mogadishu).

[BacoNoir]

It depends on how you have them set. You can set them to share information only with people you have accepted as connections or to the general public. They also allow you to do a delayed start / stop so it does not show the exact location where you start/stop from (house).

[dinexus]

I'm amazed how many people are happy to give corporations all this data on their personal habits and movements. Between Fitbit and Facebook they have your life mapped.

If you have an iPhone, don't they already know? It's not like we can be selective about which movements we share – in this day and age, unless you're fully off the grid and still using a flip phone, chances are you're already broadcasting everything.

[gonzomantis]

I'm amazed how many people are happy to give corporations all this data on their personal habits and movements. Between Fitbit and Facebook they have your life mapped.

If you have an iPhone, don't they already know? It's not like we can be selective about which movements we share – in this day and age, unless you're fully off the grid and still using a flip phone, chances are you're already broadcasting everything.

I'm (still) using a flip phone.

I miss my Nokia. AT&T made me "upgrade" in 2017 because they didn't support 2G service anymore.

[River Rat]

You don't need FITBIT to follow you most of you got cell phones they all got GPS those follow you every were and more exact than FITBIT

[toxicavenger]

At my work location you can't use any of that shit. But we still have the dumbasses who still try to bring them into the building.

[manitoujoe]

Lol me too. Instant termination because it’s an online bank. But it still happens.

One of the many reasons I will never own a smart watch. Or whatever.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[bedlam]

I'm amazed how many people are happy to give corporations all this data on their personal habits and movements. Between Fitbit and Facebook they have your life mapped.

If you have an iPhone, don't they already know? It's not like we can be selective about which movements we share – in this day and age, unless you're fully off the grid and still using a flip phone, chances are you're already broadcasting everything.

Don't have an iPhone. I don't use Facebook much anymore, and if I do its via the web rather than their app. Turned off location services on the phone and individually removed location permissions for all apps. Maps history is off. I use Signal and WhatsApp for encrypted text messaging.

I like convenience as much as anyone but won't buy it with my privacy. I have no doubt I can easily be tracked if ever I was a person of interest, but I'm not going to hand over personal info to every company who wants it without at least some semblance of resistance

[bedlam]

The other thing that amazes me is people willing to have an always-on internet-connected microphone in their home. Are you kidding me??

[hoppyjr]

Ten years ago there were several commercially available “apps” that would remotely activate a cellphone mic and/or camera, clone calls & texts, and track the device.

With that in mind, one can only imagine what is available now, especially to the government.

I have three Echo’s and turn off the microphone on each unless I’m actively using it. I like hearing my SiriusXM channels while getting ready in the morning or laying in bed before starting my day. I don’t like how “Alexa” is triggered by words on the TV that sound nothing like “Alexa”. This is the case even when I change the wake word to “Echo”.

Tech is great, but knowing how to use it is important.

[Torrid]

Not that I’m interested in these devices anyway, but they’re not allowed in my line of work.

[dnslater]

The other thing that amazes me is people willing to have an always-on internet-connected microphone in their home. Are you kidding me??

I think a lot of regular people just really don't care if they are being tracked or listened too. I don't have an Echo or any of those devices, but I don't work in national security and don't really give much thought to people tracking my location. Figure I have enough to worry about with more tangible things.

[bedlam]

The other thing that amazes me is people willing to have an always-on internet-connected microphone in their home. Are you kidding me??

I think a lot of regular people just really don't care if they are being tracked or listened too. I don't have an Echo or any of those devices, but I don't work in national security and don't really give much thought to people tracking my location. Figure I have enough to worry about with more tangible things.

Privacy isn't tangible?

[dnslater]

The other thing that amazes me is people willing to have an always-on internet-connected microphone in their home. Are you kidding me??

I think a lot of regular people just really don't care if they are being tracked or listened too. I don't have an Echo or any of those devices, but I don't work in national security and don't really give much thought to people tracking my location. Figure I have enough to worry about with more tangible things.

Privacy isn't tangible?

Didn't say that. Said more worried about "more" tangible things. Work, family, etc... I worry a lot less about Apple knowing what route I am taking home from work.

[KidKeith]

I'm not sure how civilian safety is an issue here. Active military in "secret" bases shouldn't use them, but civilians? Who cares? Your phone tracks your movement all the time and has your finger print and has facial recognition tech. If you're a civilian worried about security, the Fitbit on your wrist should be the least of your worries.

[jeckyll]

One of the worst things about fitbits etc is that there is no authentication, they'll connect to any fitbit usb dongle to upload their data.

Somewhat recent exploit where a payload uploaded to a fitbit can then transfer once connected to a computer for charging.
https://www.engadget.com/2015/10/21/fit ... erability/

Most people's price to give up their privacy for security is incredibly low, I remember reading an article a few years ago where people chose a free version of an app that invaded their privacy over a paid version that protected it for something like $2.

I believe that people are becoming a bit more aware, but it's going to take time. And when you think of the average person and how much faith you'd place in them making smart decisions, maybe a long time.

[Sidheguitarist]

OT, but, did y’all hear about the guys who stole a buncha Berettas from UPS? One would think that career urban yutes smart enough to get insider shipping tips would also be smart enough to leave their cell phones at home...

https://www.dallasnews.com/news/crime/2 ... rities-say

Six hundred .380-caliber handguns and 54 12-gauge shotguns had been stolen from the Beretta shipment. Also missing from the UPS lot were a pallet of Justin boots, power tools and 12 cases of soda.

Investigators learned the next day that a box truck had been stolen from a Springfield moving company; that truck was located in Seagoville in early November. Authorities also used cellphone-tower records to link five North Texas men to the theft: Quinton Haywood, 26, of Glenn Heights; Keith Lowe, 28, of Dallas; Frank McChriston, 33, of Ponder; Derrick White, 32, of Arlington; and Eric White, 26, Arlington.

[Captdave]

The other thing that amazes me is people willing to have an always-on internet-connected microphone in their home. Are you kidding me??

I think a lot of regular people just really don't care if they are being tracked or listened too. I don't have an Echo or any of those devices, but I don't work in national security and don't really give much thought to people tracking my location. Figure I have enough to worry about with more tangible things.

Privacy isn't tangible?

Didn't say that. Said more worried about "more" tangible things. Work, family, etc... I worry a lot less about Apple knowing what route I am taking home from work.

If we were truly worried about privacy we’d rescind the patriot act and all of the invasive practices it authorizes as well as the “secret courts” that are allowed to issue warrants with out any accountability. We’d also not repatriate citizens from foreign. countries by kidnapping them and we wouldn’t hold people in “detention centers” with out trials indefinitely. That’s just for starts if we were as a society really interested in our collective privacy and our rights.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk