3/10/2017 1 Comment Wearable Technology #7Wearable technology is possibly the biggest thing to change the world we are living in today, but do we actually realize what it may mean? Watches, clothes, rings, even shoes are actually what is known as wearable technology, and it is expanding at an incredibly rapid rate. We can measure our exercise, our health monitors, communicate with our medical professionals all with the simple technology of a wearable medical device. But, it is truly helpful, and does it matter? It used to be that if one wanted to check blood pressure, or even monitor certain conditions such as diabetes you would have to go into a clinic or doctors office for testing. Not anymore, this can now be done with a simple medical device, and it is rapidly changing the way we manage health care. With the technology, we have now people can wear a simple medical device that monitors this information, and sends it directly to a website that will gather this data and provide instant results to both physicians and patients.
The real issue here is just what may, or may not happen with this data this is collected. It is great that we have found ways to measure these kinds of human conditions. The real issue is privacy, and or the lack of it. What if the data that is collected about you, or the group of people that you may find yourself in (age, ethnicity, gender) may be in fact be used against you? When you allow yourself to be connected with a mobile device that is connected to a website, you are allowing your data to be compiled and collected. Yes, in many cases this is a good thing, however can you actually control how this collected data is shared, and you should be fully aware of it. If you are using a wearable device that collects medical data that is of importance to you, then it is probable that it is meaningful and valuable. However, if you are just someone who is perhaps wearing a mobile device that is collecting information and you are not truly aware of what the collected data may mean, it is best for you to consider whether or not you should be engaged in it. Most of this technology that is shared is encrypted, which would mean that it is secured. However, we don’t really have a truly secured system to manage that, so if you are transmitting information it might be smart to consider that. What we don’t want is to be allowing information about ourselves that may work against us, and that is a very real threat. What people should be aware of is that all wearable technology is being monitored, in one way or another. Being aware of this means that users understand that it may in fact provide information that is helpful to everyone, and or it may make them vulnerable or expose them to things they never would have chosen. Either way, these devices are a huge part of life today, and will continue to be so. They can be a curse, or a blessing, and with the technology of today either is possible.
1 Comment
Cammron Keehley
5/23/2017 08:41:19 pm
Luigi,
Reply
Leave a Reply. |
Archives
May 2017
Categories
|