I agree that wearable devices represent one of the most promising technologies in healthcare. However, it also has the potential to become a major source of controversies associated with breaches of privacy and data security. Moreover, the research shows that the reliability and accuracy of the data collected by the devices represent yet another point of concern for consumers (Marakhimov & Joo, 2017). Overall, while this technology has significant potential, scholars agree that the lack of adequate regulations might pose a serious issue to healthcare and legal systems. One might argue that the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) protects patients from violations of privacy. However, the research shows that the current legislation might be ineffective at preventing security breaches when it comes to wearable devices for several reasons. One of the main problems associated with it is that HIPAA guidelines were introduced before wearables emerged as a major trend in healthcare (Banerjee et al., 2018). Since they fail to address the issues specific to this industry, businesses can bypass identification processes using the loopholes in the law. Information overload represents another serious legal issue associated with purchasing wearable devices. Banerjee et al. (2018) state that consumers are often forced to sign vague consent notices, which they fail to comprehend due to their complexity. Therefore, most wearable devices users do not realize which kinds of information they share, and how it can be used by the parties involved. To conclude, lawmakers have to develop modern legislation that adequately addresses the legal issues associated with wearable devices. Otherwise, they will always remain a controversial technology, the benefits of which do not necessarily outweigh the harms.
References
Banerjee, S., Hemphill, T., & Longstreet, P. (2018). Wearable devices and healthcare: Data sharing and privacy.The Information Society, 34(1), 49-57. Web.
Marakhimov, A., & Joo, J. (2017). Consumer adaptation and infusion of wearable devices for healthcare.Computers in Human Behavior, 76, 135-148. Web.