Fitbit
Fitbit is a line of wireless-enabled wearable technology, physical fitness monitors and activity trackers such as smartwatches, pedometers and monitors for heart rate, quality of sleep, and stairs climbed as well as related software. It operated as an American consumer electronics and fitness company from 2007 to 2021.
Developer
The Fitbit brand name was originally owned by Fitbit, Inc., founded by James Park and Eric Freidman. The company was acquired by Google in January 2021 and was absorbed into the company's hardware division.[1]
In 2019, Fitbit was the fifth largest wearable technology company in shipments.[2][3] The company has sold more than 120 million devices and has 29 million users in over 100 countries.[4][5]
Formerly
- Healthy Metrics Research, Inc.
- Fitbit, Inc.
Nasdaq: FIT
March 26, 2007 in Delaware, U.S.
- James Park
- Eric Friedman
January 14, 2021 (as a company)
Absorbed into Google
Recalls[edit]
On February 20, 2014, Fitbit worked with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) to recall the Fitbit Force because some users experienced allergic reactions to the materials used in the product. On March 12, 2014, the CPSC made the recall official. At that time, there were 9,900 reports of skin irritation and 250 reports of blistering.[67]
In April 2017, a woman claimed her Flex 2 device malfunctioned and caught fire, causing second-degree burns on her arm.[68] Following an investigation, Fitbit was adamant that the exploding tracker was caused by external forces, and assured customers that it was not aware of any other complaints and that they could wear their own Fitbits without concern.[69]
On March 2, 2022, Fitbit issued a voluntary recall of its Ionic smartwatches after reports of overheating batteries which caused skin burns for some owners.[70] At the time of the recall, there were 78 reports of skin burns.[71]
Privacy concerns[edit]
Public data-sharing by default[edit]
To set up and use Fitbit devices, users must create an account with Fitbit and agree to data collection, transfer and privacy rules.[72] Starting in June 2011, Fitbit was criticized for its website's default activity-sharing settings, which made users' manually-entered physical activities available for public viewing.[73] All users had the option to make their physical activity information private, but some users were unaware that the information was public by default.[73] One specific issue, which technology blogs made fun of, was that some users were including details about their sex lives in their daily exercise logs, and this information was, by default, publicly available.[73] Fitbit responded to criticism by making all such data private by default and requesting that search engines remove indexed user profile pages from their databases.[74]
Google's acquisition[edit]
Fitbit's acquisition by Alphabet has resulted in concern that Fitbit user data could be combined with other Google services data or sold for purposes such as targeted advertising.[75] There are also concerns that user data could be sold to health insurance companies.[76] In response, Fitbit stated in 2019 that user data would not be used or sold for advertising by Google, citing that trustworthiness was "paramount" to the company, and that the sale would not change their historic commitment to user privacy and security.[77][78]
Use in court cases[edit]
The company's devices have also been used in criminal investigations.[79][80][81]
On March 10, 2015, a woman allegedly fabricated a story in which an intruder appeared in her employer's home she was staying at and raped her. She told police that a man had assaulted her around midnight. Police found a Fitbit lying on the floor when they arrived at the scene. Prosecutors used the Fitbit as evidence and data to determine what had occurred. The Fitbit revealed that the woman was active throughout the night, and the Fitbit surveillance analysis demonstrated the woman had not gone to bed as she stated to the police, proving that the woman had lied to the police.[82][83][84][85]
In 2017, a Fitbit device played a role in solving a murder.[86] Victim Connie Dabate was murdered by her husband Richard Dabate. Initially, Richard framed the situation, telling police and law enforcement officials that an intruder had broken into their home and fatally shot his wife.[86] However, Connie's Fitbit tracker showed that she was at the gym at the time Richard told police his wife was shot. Using Connie's Fitbit and analyzing her movements, analysts were able to create a timeline that proved Richard had created a false story.[87]
In 2018, a Fitbit device played a role in solving another murder. Anthony Aiello murdered his stepdaughter Karen Navarra while visiting her home and her body was found five days later. Data from her Fitbit fitness tracker showed that her heart rate spiked when Aiello visited her and stopped five minutes before he left. Aiello was arrested in September 2018 on murder charges and was booked into the Santa Clara County Jail.[88][89]