iPhone Sensor Surveillance
The new iPhone has a motion sensor chip, and that opens up new opportunities for surveillance:
The M7 coprocessors introduce functionality that some may instinctively identify as “creepy.” Even Apple’s own description hints at eerie omniscience: “M7 knows when you’re walking, running, or even driving…” While it’s quietly implemented within iOS, it’s not secret for third party apps (which require an opt-in through pop-up notification, and management through the phone’s Privacy settings). But as we know, most users blindly accept these permissions.
It all comes down to a question of agency in tracking our physical bodies.
The fact that my Fitbit tracks activity without matching it up with all my other data sources, like GPS location or my calendar, is comforting. These data silos can sometimes be frustrating when I want to query across my QS datasets, but the built-in divisions between data about my body —and data about the rest of my digital life—leave room for my intentional inquiry and interpretation.
NobodySpecial • October 16, 2013 7:45 AM
Would taking exercise necessarily be regarded as an un-american activity?