Poll: Americans Split on Fitness Tracker Data Use in Research

January 22, 2020

A new Pew Research poll finds that 41% of Americans say it is acceptable for makers of fitness trackers to disclose users' data to medical researchers, while 35% believe this is an unacceptable practice and 22% are unsure. The study also found that white adults (39%) are more likely than those who are black (31%) or Hispanic (26%) to see disclosure of this data as unacceptable. EPIC told Congress that the Federal Trade Commission must block Google's plan to acquire Fitbit and that merger review must consider data protection. EPIC maintains an extensive page on Privacy and Public Opinion which shows consistent support among Americans for stronger privacy laws. EPIC advocates for comprehensive privacy legislation and the establishment of a U.S. data protection agency.

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