Living Under The Influence Of Technology

We live in a society surrounded by technology. Ever since the COVID-19 outbreak, our lives are put on hold. From our education to our work life, everything’s virtual. There are now digital monitors to assess our well-being. The data collected from these devices can invade our right of privacy, cause mental health issues and jeopardize our health insurance. This raises great concern to employees. Many organizations have considered the use of digital monitors to assess the well-being of their employees.

 There are concerns that the digital monitors issued to employees on health grounds could be used to invade their privacy since data collected is not protected. According to the article “Coronavirus tracing apps are coming”, Woodrow Hartzog informs that big tech companies like Fitbit and Apple are the most common digital monitors issued by organizations to monitor their employees' health well-being. Hartzog’s raises questions if “Apple and Google can “promise to serve as staunch gatekeepers of the system”. He is implying that these tech companies are supposed be a top-notch security smartphone company that protects our right to privacy. Even in the article, “Fitness trackers in the workplace” by Christopher Rowland, it addresses the issues of fitness monitors in the workplace are causing great concerns to our privacy. The federal law called HIPAA “prohibits doctors, hospitals and insurance companies from disclosing personal health information.” therefore, limitations on disclosure do not exist (Rowland, 7). In this case, individual data can end up in the wrong hands and used for the wrong purpose. Even though fitness monitors are effective in monitoring health, they have a potential risk to users and guarantees no safety net to protect our data. Fitness monitors provided in workplaces offer employers the chance to access all data concerning their employees even when they are not at work. In most cases, the information collected from employees using fitness monitors is not protected by federal laws prohibiting the disclosure of recorded health information. Some organizations also offer credit scores to employees who wear fitness monitors. Such scores often act as a motivator to employees accepting and sticking to the use of fitness monitors. However, it might be a risk to them since they allow their employers to have an insight into their personal life than they could think. Employees could be subject to medical interventions because of something they do during their personal time since monitors are equipped with text message and phone call services (Rowland,3). 

Rowland articles suggests that the monitors' data “shows signs of unhealthy behaviors such as heavy drinking and drug use” which can cause such employees, when identified, to be at risk of losing their jobs for being considered incompetent. Individuals with such habits are often subject to being laid off. In this case, they would be left unemployed by a gadget aimed to enhance their well-being. The ability of employers to monitor their employees also offers them the chance to intervene in their personal lives. Even knowing that your boss will be checking your health through these devices can drive an employee to be in a perfect health to decrease the risk of being fired. The constant need to check their fitness trackers like Fitbits or Apple Watch motivate one to live a healthy lifestyle. But, a question of concern would raise if they don’t meet up with the expectations. These can lead to severe anxiety and depression and constant needing to be a perfect. I think students at UTA can agree that trying to do well in school and get the perfect A’s and being an overachiever can drive one into a deep state of despair. 

There are also concerns that monitors that assess health well-being can contribute to a person being denied insurance covers. According to Andrew Boyd’s article, “Could you Fitbit data be used to deny you health insurance?”, addresses the issues of these fitness tracking device partnering with UnitedHealthcare and Fitbit “could pave the way for insurance companies to use fitness tracer data to deny coverage or hike up rates for consumers”. Availability of records of data indicating the existence of prior medical conditions may indicate a person to be at risk, therefore, being denied cover. Boyd addresses that the uses of fitness monitors also exposes the users to the risk of being declined personal and car insurance covers. However, this would happen if the Affordable Care Act introduced by Obama was eliminated. The Act limits insurance companies from barring people from accessing insurance covers for having existing medical conditions. If Republicans eliminate the Act in Congress, there is a high possibility that insurance providers would use data from fitness monitors to assess the medical conditions of users. In this case, people with existing medical conditions would be at a high risk of missing insurance covers. This would increase the financial burden faced by sick people in seeking medical care. Being limited from accessing insurance covers can also contribute to people without adequate financial resources missing medical appointments. Limitations to the access of insurance covers can significantly affect the population since many people have existing medical conditions. Data from digital monitors can indicate one’s behavior and also indicate the risks involved. A driver whose data indicates high risks is likely to be denied an insurance cover. Therefore, data collected from fitness monitors can act as a limit to accessing insurance covers.

Despite the various risks associated with fitness monitors, they are effective in that they help to notify on important health issues. The latest development of monitors has aimed at addressing the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Google and Apple are behind the new inventions aiming at enhancing efficiency while also ensuring that user privacy is maintained. The developments will see government health agencies developing apps for IOS and Android that connect with Bluetooth. When successful, the apps are projected to inform users who have been in close contact with an infected person. In this case, one can take up effective interventions as early as possible to avoid complications. This would help to minimize the number of infections recorded in various nations around the world. It would be effective to advocate for the use of such fitness monitors to minimize infections. Another benefit associated with the newly developed fitness monitors is that they have a focus on preserving users' identity. To achieve this, the system is projected to apply Bluetooth technology to limit the collection of location data and user’s self-identity (Hartzog, 3). The system also promotes the preservation of privacy by ensuring that it requires permission to record proximity data. For infected people, they have to make the decision to notify others before sharing their information. Google and Apple also aim to ensure that users will have to input a code provided by health professionals to share information that they are infected. Despite the effectiveness promised by the system, there is a need for effective measures to limit government manipulation. 

In conclusion, fitness monitors are effective in monitoring health however, they have a potential risk to users in that there is no privacy of data, and one can also be denied insurance covers. There are concerns that the data collected using fitness monitors are not prohibited from sharing by federal and HIPAA laws, as is the case for other medical records. Due to the fact that users voluntarily allow the collection of the data, organizations are not legally bound to ensure that the data does not fall into the wrong hands. There is a high possibility that recorded data might end up being misused. Employers can also use recorded data to assess non-productive employees and lay them off. There also exist concerns that the use of fitness monitors might limit someone accessing insurance coverage for having an existing medical condition. However, this can only happen if the Social Care Act is eliminated. The Act limited insurance providers from barring American citizens from accessing insurance covers for having pre-existing medical conditions. Despite the risks associated with the use of fitness monitors, it might be beneficial to minimize new COVID-19 infections. The invention by Google and Apple will help to notify users after being in close contact with an infected person. This will help to initiate early interventions and minimize complications. 

Works Cited.

Boyd, Andrew. “Could Your Fitbit Data Be Used to Deny You Health Insurance?” The Conversation, 2017, https://theconversation.com/could-your-fitbit-data-be-used-to-deny-you-health-insurance-72565  Accessed 27 April 2021.

Hartzog, Woodrow. “Op-Ed: Risks with Coronavirus Tracing Apps Go Beyond Privacy.” Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 2020, https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2020-05-12/coronavirus-tracing-app-apple-google  Accessed 27 April 2021.

Rowland, Christopher. “With Fitness Trackers in the Workplace, Bosses Can Monitor Your Every Step — and Possibly More.” Washington Post, The Washington Post, 2019, https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/with-fitness-trackers-in-the-workplace-bosses-can-monitor-your-every-step--and-possibly-more/2019/02/15/75ee0848-2a45-11e9-b011-d8500644dc98_story.html  Accessed 1 May 2021.