Fitness App Privacy: How Safe is Your Data from Breaches?

With the rising popularity of fitness apps and wearables like Fitbit and Strava, millions of people now rely on these tools to track their steps, monitor their heart rate, and manage personal health goals. Fitness apps and trackers collect an extensive range of data—from health information like heart rate and activity levels to more sensitive data such as location and personal identifiers. This data collection has raised concerns, especially given the increase in data breaches and unauthorized data sharing in recent years.

As more companies and third parties, including advertisers and potential hackers, gain access to users' health data, questions about fitness app privacy, data sharing practices, and the effectiveness of privacy policies are on the rise. While privacy regulations like HIPAA protect some health information, fitness apps and wearable devices often operate outside these standards, exposing users to potential data misuse.

In this article, we’ll explore how fitness apps collect and use health data, the risks of sharing data with third parties, and practical tips for protecting your personal health information from breaches, poor privacy practices, and unauthorized access. Whether you’re using a fitness tracker or a workout app, learn how to make privacy-focused choices for a more secure experience.

• Fitness apps and wearables, like fitness trackers and smartwatches, are popular with people of all ages for tracking health and fitness progress.
  
• These apps track things like:
  
  • Steps, calories burned, heart rate, and sleep patterns
    
  • Location data (like where you go and the routes you take)
    
  • Personal information (such as age, weight, and gender)
    
• Many apps also connect with other devices or apps, sharing even more of your data.
  
• While helpful, the data collected by these apps can raise privacy concerns if not handled carefully.

• Health and location data are some of the most personal types of information.
  
  • Health data reveals your fitness habits, health patterns, and possibly specific conditions.
    
  • Location data shows where you live, your routines, and where you spend your time.
    
• This information is valuable to companies like advertisers, who may want to use it to target you with products or services.
  
• Some apps may have vague privacy policies, meaning your data could be shared with outside companies without you realizing it.

Not all fitness apps have strong security, and data breaches (where hackers steal information) are becoming more common. Here are some risks:

• • Identity Theft: Hackers could use your data to impersonate you, access your other accounts, or even steal money.
    
  • Stalking and Location Tracking: If a breach exposes your location data, it could reveal your daily routines or whereabouts, making stalking or tracking easier.
    
  • Targeted Advertising: Companies that get hold of your health data may use it to show you specific ads based on assumptions about your health or lifestyle, which can feel invasive.

Fitness apps and wearable devices collect various types of data to help users track their health, fitness progress, and even sleep quality. Here are some common types of data these apps gather:

• Activity Levels: Fitness apps track activities like steps, distance walked, calories burned, exercise duration, and workout intensity. This data helps users understand their daily activity levels and set fitness goals.
  
• GPS and Location Data: Many fitness apps use GPS to map running, walking, or cycling routes. While this can be a great feature for tracking outdoor activities, it also collects information on where you go, which can reveal your daily routes, favorite spots, and even your home or workplace location.
  
• Biometric Data: Some fitness apps gather biometric data, which includes measurements like heart rate, oxygen levels, or sleep quality, especially if they connect with wearables. This type of data can give insights into your physical health, stress levels, and recovery rates.
  
• Personal Information: Most fitness apps require users to enter some personal details, such as age, gender, height, and weight. This helps the app provide a personalized experience by tailoring recommendations based on your profile.
  
• Device and App Usage Data: Some fitness apps also track how often you use the app, the features you interact with the most, and any devices you connect, like smartwatches or heart rate monitors. This data helps developers understand user behavior and improve the app.

Fitness apps collect data for several reasons that enhance their functionality and your experience as a user:

• Goal Tracking: By recording activity levels and biometric data, apps can help users set goals, like walking a certain number of steps per day or burning a target number of calories. This data allows you to track progress and stay motivated.
  
• Personalized Recommendations: Many fitness apps offer personalized recommendations based on your activity level, health data, and goals. For example, an app might suggest a workout or meal plan based on your previous activity or nutritional habits. This personalization makes the app more relevant to your specific needs.
  
• Social Features: Some fitness apps allow you to connect with friends, join challenges, or share achievements. These features can be motivating, but they also involve sharing data, like your activity levels or workout history, with other users.
  
• Tracking Health Metrics Over Time: By consistently collecting data, fitness apps allow users to look at trends in their health metrics over weeks, months, or even years. This can be helpful for tracking improvements in fitness or noticing patterns that may indicate health issues.

Many fitness apps are free or low-cost, which may lead users to wonder how these apps stay profitable. Often, the answer is through data monetization. Here’s how fitness apps may use or share your data with third parties:

• Advertising: Fitness apps often partner with advertisers, using your data to show you relevant ads. For instance, if you log a lot of workouts, you might see ads for supplements, athletic wear, or health services. Advertisers find this data valuable because it helps them target specific audiences who may be interested in their products.
  
• Research Partnerships: Some fitness apps partner with research firms or health organizations to share anonymized data for studies on health trends, exercise habits, or even illness patterns. While this data sharing is often presented as beneficial to science or public health, users should be aware that their data may be shared in ways they didn’t expect.
  
• Third-Party Sales: In some cases, fitness apps may sell user data to third parties, especially if the app has a vague or unclear privacy policy. This could mean that your health and location data is being sold to companies for marketing purposes without your full awareness. Third-party companies may use this data to build profiles on users, which they can later use for targeted advertising or other marketing purposes.
  
• Improving the App: Not all data usage is for profit; some of it helps app developers understand user behavior and preferences, which allows them to improve the app. For instance, knowing that users prefer certain features can guide developers to focus on improving those areas. However, this type of data collection often overlaps with monetized data collection practices.

When you use a fitness app, the data you enter often doesn’t just stay with that app. Many fitness apps share data with other companies, known as third parties. These third parties might include advertisers, research companies, and data analysis firms.

Here’s what usually happens:

• Data is collected by the app (like your steps, location, or health info).
  
• The app then shares this data with third-party companies. Sometimes this is done to show you more personalized ads, and sometimes it’s to make extra money by selling data.
  

Why this is risky: Once your data is shared, you can’t control where it goes next or how it’s used. Companies may share it with other businesses, creating a chain that’s hard to track. This means your data could end up being used in ways you didn’t expect.

Some third parties that may get your data include:

• Advertisers who target ads based on your activity and interests.
  
• Health research companies that use data for studies.
  
• Data analytics firms that analyze user habits.

Not all fitness apps protect data well. Some have weak security, meaning they don’t take enough steps to keep your data safe. For example:

• Weak encryption: If an app doesn’t encrypt your data, it’s easier for hackers to read it.
  
• Poor password protection: Apps that don’t require strong passwords make it easier for accounts to be hacked.
  
• Infrequent updates: Apps that don’t update security features are easier targets for hackers.

Many fitness apps use real-time location tracking for features like mapping your run or allowing you to share activities with friends. However, location tracking can put your privacy at risk in several ways:

• Location Tracking Risks: Tracking your location can reveal your routines, like where you live, work, or spend time. This information can be valuable to advertisers, and it can also pose safety risks if shared widely.
  
• Real-Time Activity Sharing Risks: Some apps let you share workouts in real time, meaning others can see your exact location as you move. While fun for sharing progress, it could be risky as strangers might know where you are or where you’re headed.

Several fitness apps have experienced serious data breaches in recent years. Here are two major examples:

• MyFitnessPal Breach (2018): In 2018, MyFitnessPal, a popular diet and exercise app, was hacked, exposing usernames, email addresses, and passwords for 150 million users. While sensitive health information wasn’t stolen, this breach raised concerns about fitness app security.
  
• Strava Heatmap Incident (2018): Strava, a tracking app for running and cycling, unintentionally exposed the locations of military bases worldwide through its global “heatmap” feature. This heatmap showed popular routes based on user data, but it also revealed sensitive locations when military personnel used the app, underscoring the risks of public location sharing.

Here’s what happened to users affected by these breaches:

• Data Exposure: MyFitnessPal users had their emails and passwords exposed, which made them more vulnerable to scams. If users reused passwords across different accounts, hackers could try to log into those accounts too.
  
• Location Exposure: Strava’s heatmap revealed the exercise routes of users around sensitive locations, potentially endangering military personnel and exposing private routines to anyone with access.
  
• Increased Risk of Identity Theft: Even basic information, like emails and usernames, can help hackers piece together enough details for identity theft or other scams.

These incidents offer important reminders about protecting personal data. Here are key takeaways:

1. Use Unique Passwords: If you use a unique password for each app, a breach in one app won’t put other accounts at risk. Password managers can help create and remember unique passwords.
   
2. Limit Location Sharing: Consider keeping location tracking private, or only sharing it with trusted contacts. Many apps let you adjust these settings to control who can see your routes and activity.
   
3. Review Privacy Settings: Check the privacy settings on your apps regularly to ensure your data is shared only with people you trust. Many apps update these settings often, so it’s good to check back.
   
4. Avoid Linking Other Accounts: Avoid linking social media or other accounts to your fitness app if privacy is a concern, as this can allow more data to be shared.
   
5. Stay Informed about App Privacy: Pay attention to app privacy policies and any news about security updates or breaches. This will help you stay informed about how your data is being used.

Fitness apps are useful tools, but it’s important to take steps to protect your privacy. Here’s how you can keep your information safe while still enjoying the benefits of fitness apps:

When selecting a fitness app, look for one that has a clear, easy-to-understand privacy policy. Apps with strong privacy policies explain:

• What data they collect (like health metrics, location, or personal info)
  
• How they use that data (for example, if they share data with advertisers)
  
• How they keep your data secure (such as using encryption)

Most fitness apps have privacy settings that allow you to control how much data you share. Here are some common settings to look for:

• Privacy Controls: Many apps let you choose if your profile, activity, or location is public, private, or visible only to friends.
  
• Data-Sharing Options: Some apps give you control over whether your data is shared with third parties, like advertisers or research groups. Turning these options off can help keep your information private.

Some fitness apps offer the option to link your social media accounts (like Facebook or Instagram) to share your progress with friends. While this can be fun, it’s safer to keep your fitness app separate from social accounts for a few reasons:

• More data shared: Linking accounts often means sharing more personal data between the platforms, like your contacts and profile details.
  
• Easier to track you: Linking social accounts can allow advertisers and data trackers to follow your activity across different apps, building a profile of your habits and preferences.

Many fitness apps track your location to map your workouts or show your route in real time. While this is helpful for tracking outdoor activities, it can also pose privacy risks. Here’s how you can stay safer:

• Turn off location tracking when you’re not using the app, especially if you’re indoors or in places where you don’t need location-based features.
  
• Limit who sees your location: If the app has a “Friends Only” or “Private” option, use it so only people you know can view your activity.
  
• Disable location sharing completely for added privacy, especially if you mostly use the app for indoor workouts or tracking steps.

A secure password and two-factor authentication (2FA) can make a big difference in protecting your fitness app account. Here’s how to set up each one:

• Secure Password: Use a strong password that is unique to your fitness app account. Avoid using the same password you use for other accounts, and include a mix of letters, numbers, and symbols.
  
• Two-Factor Authentication (2FA): Many apps offer 2FA, which requires a second form of identification, like a text message code, in addition to your password. This extra layer of security makes it much harder for anyone to access your account without your permission.

Before downloading a fitness app, it’s a good idea to ask some basic questions about how it handles your data. Here are four important questions to consider to help you decide if an app will respect your privacy and keep your information safe.

When downloading a fitness app, always check if it has a clear privacy policy. A privacy policy should explain:

• What information the app collects (like health data, location, or contact details).
  
• How the app uses that information, such as for personalizing features, sharing with third parties, or improving the app.
  
• Who the app shares your information with, including advertisers, research groups, or other partners.

Ask yourself what data the app is collecting and if it’s necessary for the app’s functions. Here are a few common types of data that fitness apps might collect:

• Activity Data: Information about your workouts, steps, or calories burned. This is usually essential for most fitness apps.
  
• Location Data: Needed for mapping routes or tracking outdoor activities but may not be necessary if you’re using the app for indoor workouts.
  
• Biometric Data: Data like heart rate or sleep patterns, often collected through connected devices or wearables, is useful but not always necessary, depending on the app’s purpose.

• Permissions: Look at what permissions the app asks for when you install it. If it requests access to things like your microphone or contacts and that seems unnecessary, think twice before allowing it.
  
• Third-Party Access: The privacy policy should tell you whether your data is shared with advertisers, research groups, or other companies. If this information isn’t clear, consider choosing a different app.
  
• Your Control: Some apps let you decide which data to share with third parties. Look in the app’s settings to see if you can control data-sharing options.

Fitness trackers and smartwatches, like those from popular brands such as Garmin, offer great benefits by allowing users to track fitness goals, monitor health metrics (e.g., heart rate, sleep patterns, and even reproductive health), and stay motivated.

However, using these devices also comes with privacy and security risks that users should understand to safeguard their personal health data. Information that fitness trackers collect—including sensitive health information, location data, and other personally identifiable information—may be shared with third-party apps and services, sometimes without clear explanations in the terms of service and privacy policies. This data can potentially end up with data brokers or even be vulnerable to data breaches by bad actors.

To protect yourself, regularly review the data collection and use of personal information in your fitness app’s terms of service and privacy settings. Consider how data is used, shared, and stored by these apps, especially as fitness tracker companies may share data with third parties for marketing or analytics purposes.

Checking app permissions and disabling unneeded settings, such as Bluetooth and location tracking, can help reduce risks.