Best of: How private is your health tracking app data?

Back in the day, when you went out on a run outside, all you needed was a Sony Walkman and a pair of wired headphones. Today, when you’re out on a run, not only can your phone act as a wireless walkman, but it can also act as a GPS and keep a log of the route you take on a run. Additionally, you can track how many calories you burn and even what you eat.

It’s prompting the question, how private is all that data? We were joined by an associate professor of computer science at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign to discuss how your data can be breached through health apps and how to keep it safe.

Guest:

Adam Bates
Associate Professor of Computer Science, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Grainger College of Engineering

Prepared for web by Zainab Qureshi and Owen Henderson

Help shape our coverage on The 21st by joining our texting group and answering weekly questions. To join, text “TALK” to 217-803-0730 or sign up with your phone number below: