noyb filed three complaints against Fitbit. The health and fitness company forces new app users to consent to data transfers
  • Cryophilia@lemmy.world
    341·
    1 year ago

    Just here to push https://gadgetbridge.org/

    Get a smartwatch, replace the stock companion app with Gadgetbridge.

    Watch talks to Gadgetbridge, Gadgetbridge talks to watch. All over Bluetooth.

    Gadgetbridge has no internet access, up or down. It cannot send out any of your data. It remains sandboxed on your phone.

    You can totally uninstall the stock companion app.

    • SuperEars@lemmy.worldEnglish
      7·
      1 year ago

      I like the idea of this. At present time it doesn’t look like any Fitbit-branded devices are supported, unless I’m missing something.

    • Boring@lemmy.ml
      1·
      1 year ago

      I really wanted to use gadget bridge. But they only support obscure watches and some Chinese knock offs.

      Amazing concept, but I guess its really hard to reverse engineer some of the protocols these major watch/fitness trackers use.

    • Blackmist@feddit.ukEnglish
      1·
      1 year ago

      I notice FitBit isn’t supported though.

      Although that’s understandable. The wife had one and it wouldn’t talk to the official app reliably either.

  • Zerush@lemmy.ml
    82·
    1 year ago

    Any fitness watch with internet access, by definition, is spyware, yes or yes. Personal and health data are too succulent for large companies not to turn them into profits. There are fitness apps that save data locally, if you want to monitor your health status during your workouts, there is no need for a Cloudservice for this purpose, the data from a workout is not so much that it cannot be saved on a cheap SD card, with much a transfer via Bluetooth to the PC or Mobile, if you want to review this data.

  • flames5123@lemmy.world
    61·
    1 year ago

    I use an Apple Watch. It regularly (about every 2 weeks) to review who and what data I’m sharing with studies. I can easily opt out again, and the system is opt in only.

  • totallynotfbi@lemm.ee
    4·
    1 year ago

    I was forced into using a Fitbit last year, and I instantly went back to my Samsung Galaxy watch when I got the chance. Samsung Health is annoying on iOS, but at least you don’t need to send all your data to Samsung in order to use it

  • Optional@lemmy.world
    12·
    1 year ago

    Well . . . yeah.

    Kids, folks, trusted benefactors - everything’s taking your data. Tell it no or don’t buy it.

    TheWorld: This thing is amazing! Buy it and give it your data! Me: wtf TheWorld: #1 This thing grosses eleventy billion dollars first quarter! Internet: guyz thing stealz data omg (Repeat)