Oura says it gets government demands for user data. Will it share how many?
Key takeaways
- Last year, health wearable maker Oura became embroiled in a social media shitstorm after inking a deal with the Department of Defense and Palantir.
- Oura rings are health-monitoring hardware wearables worn on a finger.
- As a security and privacy nerd reporter, and the partner of someone who uses hers, I wondered: Where does all that data go, and how does it get there?
Last year, health wearable maker Oura became embroiled in a social media shitstorm after inking a deal with the Department of Defense and Palantir. Some customers feared their data would end up in the clutches of the Trump administration. The scandal blew up so much that my partner, an Oura ring user, drew my attention to it.
Oura rings are health-monitoring hardware wearables worn on a finger. These battery powered rings keep track of a person's health data, like heart rate, sleep patterns, menstrual cycles, and dozens of other data points, including their location. Oura keeps a lot of sensitive information about its users on its servers.
As a security and privacy nerd reporter, and the partner of someone who uses hers, I wondered: Where does all that data go, and how does it get there? You might assume it doesn't matter. But the way that companies set up their products and servers makes all the difference between whether governments (or hackers) can also access that user data.