Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) is warning against fitness trackers, like FitBit, over privacy concerns, ABC News reported.
In his press release Sunday, Schumer declared in capital letters: "WITHOUT THEIR KNOWLEDGE, FITBIT BRACELETS & SMARTPHONE APPS ARE TRACKING USER'S MOVEMENTS AND HEALTH DATA THAT COULD BE SOLD TO THIRD PARTIES," according to Business Insider.
Schumer has since called on the Federal Trade Commission to regulate the data that is being tracked by these wearable fitness devices in a statement.
"Personal fitness bracelets and the data they collect on your health, sleep and location, should be just that--personal," the statement said.
"The fact that private health data--rich enough to identify the user's gait--is being gathered by applications like FitBit and can then be sold to third-parties without the user's consent is a true privacy nightmare," Schumer added.
FitBit stores data as it tracks how much walking, exercising and sleeping its users do. It also encourages users to reach activity milestones, like 10,000 steps a day, and syncs to their smartphone or computer.
The San Francisco-based company says users "take 43% more steps with FitBit," according to ABC News.
"If companies of fitness devices have the ability to sell personal health data to insurers, employers and others, users should be alerted and given the opportunity to decline," Shumer said.
A FitBit representative told Business Insider that the company "does not sell user data. Our privacy policy prevents us from doing this. We are committed to our users' privacy and welcome the opportunity to work with Senator Schumer on this important issue."
