Privacy Attitudes and Data Valuation Among Fitness Tracker Users

Jessica Vitak, Yuting Liao, Priya Kumar, Michael T. Zimmer, Katherine Kritikos

Abstract: Fitness trackers are an increasingly popular tool for tracking one’s health and physical activity. While research has evaluated the potential benefits of these devices for health and well-being, few studies have empirically evaluated users’ behaviors when sharing personal fitness information (PFI) and the privacy concerns that stem from the collection, aggregation, and sharing of PFI. In this study, we present findings from a survey of Fitbit and Jawbone users (N = 361) to understand how concerns about privacy in general and user-generated data in particular affect users’ mental models of PFI privacy, tracking, and sharing. Findings highlight the complex relationship between users’ demographics, sharing behaviors, privacy concerns, and internet skills with how valuable and sensitive they rate their PFI. We conclude with a discussion of opportunities to increase user awareness of privacy and PFI.