The Verge - Healths |
| Apple Watch Series 8 will reportedly be able to detect if you have a fever Posted: 03 Jul 2022 07:31 AM PDT  The upcoming Apple Watch Series 8 will reportedly come with a body temperature sensor that can tell whether you're running a fever, according to a report from Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Instead of giving you an exact reading, Gurman believes the watch should be able to detect a spike in body temperature, and then encourage you to talk to a doctor or use a thermometer. Gurman says the body temperature sensor still has to pass internal testing, and if it does, Apple's expected to incorporate the feature in the Watch Series 8, as well as the rumored "rugged" smartwatch for extreme sports athletes. The upcoming entry-level Apple Watch SE likely won't have the sensor, though. Rumors of a new body temperature sensor have been floating around for over a year now. Gurman first pointed out the possibility in June 2021, and later backtracked on his prediction in January of this year. He then reversed course once again in April, noting that we can expect a body temperature sensor "as early as this year." Supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo also believes the sensor will make its debut later this year. Previous reports from Gurman and The Wall Street Journal indicate that the body temperature sensor could also be used for fertility tracking — shifts in body temperature could help someone determine when they're more likely to get pregnant, or predict when they're going to get their period. Gurman only mentioned fever detection in his most recent report, so it's still unclear how (or if) Apple plans on adding cycle-tracking capabilities. Aside from the body temperature sensor, Gurman says any other changes to the Apple Watch's hardware "will probably be minor" and also hints at the possibility of an improved display in higher-end models. Gurman predicted last week that the Series 8 processor will have the same level of performance as the previous S7 and S6 chips — we likely won't see an upgrade until 2023. In terms of health-tracking features on other upcoming devices, Gurman says the new model of AirPods Pro, which is rumored to have a focus on fitness, likely won't arrive with temperature or heart rate detection this year. |
| Google will start auto-deleting abortion clinic visits from user location history Posted: 01 Jul 2022 02:07 PM PDT  Google says it'll start automatically deleting visits to abortion clinics, domestic violence shelters, weight loss clinics, and other potentially sensitive locations from users' location histories in the coming weeks. In a blog post on Friday, the company says that the deletion will happen "soon after" the visit, once its systems have identified that a trip was made to one of the locations. This change is happening in the wake of the Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade and the moves several states have immediately made to outlaw abortions. You can also turn off Google's location logging altogether by following its instructions here. Google's post, entitled "Protecting people's privacy on health topics," also mentions that there's an update coming for Fitbit that will let you delete multiple menstruation logs at once if you've been using the health tracking feature. These privacy updates are meant to remove select data from Google's servers that could be used to prosecute people for seeking care, but the company still stores a lot of other data about your activities. Search and YouTube histories could also be used as evidence in investigations, and Google's post doesn't mention anything about those. We've reached out to Google to ask about any other steps it may be taking to protect users' data. While Google legally has to comply with certain government demands for data (and could be compelled to turn over logs if they exist), the company reiterates that it will "continue to oppose demands that are overly broad or otherwise legally objectionable." Google also says that it will notify users when it gives their data to the government, unless it's been ordered not to do so or there is a pressing security concern. Data privacy concerns around abortion go beyond Google: official medical records aren't as private as many of us assume, and everything from text messages and purchase records could be used against you in court. Plus, the company isn't necessarily the only entity keeping tabs on where your smartphone has been. For more info, you can read our article that goes in depth on the privacy risks that people seeking care may now face. |
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