Tracking our fitness and exercise efforts is easier than ever. Glancing at a wristband and reading stats in an app now serve as the inspiration for going that extra mile or running a few more minutes and, best of all, your hard work is stored in a database for anyone to see. It might be beneficial to check the health of your personal data before counting calories to find out who is tracking you.
Downloading apps is fun, easy, and convenient but we may not realize the full extent of our actions. As users we often hit “Agree” without realizing or knowing what we are agreeing to. Many apps , both free and paid, can access your contacts, social media account info, and other data and then share your unencrypted data with third-party companies and advertisers. Health and fitness apps are of particular concern because they aren’t required to be HIPAA compliant and the stored information could be susceptible to hackers intent on using it medical identity theft purposes because of lax security features. Here’s some tips on how to exercise safely – in more ways than one.
Read the Privacy Policy Before Downloading App
The Privacy Policy is displayed under the details section of the app information. How and what are they doing with your info? Keywords to look for are Third-Party, Marketers, Sharing Your Info.
Ask If The Health App Is HIPAA Compliant
The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act was enacted in 1996 with the goal of helping individuals maintain healthcare coverage between jobs and to provide security and confidentiality to patients to protect their medical records and health data. App developers don’t always take HIPAA into consideration when writing their programs or may not understand their responsibilities to users. If you aren’t sure or the developer is unable to respond to your queries, go elsewhere for your purchase.
Don’t Automatically Link To Social Media Accounts
Stop and think whether or not it is necessary to share your workout history on social media. Do you want your favorite routes and routines shared with virtual strangers? Check the privacy settings on the apps and give as little information as possible when signing up. Review the privacy settings on social media accounts as well.
We need to stay vigilant in the ever changing world of technological advancements. Protecting ourselves and our personal information is more important than ever. We lock our cars, our doors, and our windows when leaving home for any amount of time. We need to use that same vigilance when visiting cyber frontiers.