What the Fitbit (Charge / Sense / Versa) knows about you

Other practice

In 2011, Fitbit profiles were public by default and some users' sexual activity logs appeared in Google search results. Fitbit only changed the default to private after the story became public. This culture of public-by-default health data is now managed under Google.

Your location

Collects your precise location via GPS, device sensors, WiFi, and cell towers when you grant permission, and may also estimate your location from your IP address.

Your body data

Continuously collects heart rate, sleep stages, steps, distance, calories, weight, HRV, skin temperature, blood oxygen, and breathing rate, all uploaded to Fitbit's servers when the device syncs.

Your body data

Fitbit devices collect sleep patterns, heart rate, skin temperature, calories burned, and steps taken; Google also collects account information including name and password, device identifiers, IP address, location data via GPS and sensor data, and activity data including search terms, videos watched, and Chrome browsing history synced with the Google Account.

Selling your data

EU regulators required Google to promise not to use your Fitbit health data for advertising for about 10 years, ending around 2031. US regulators made no similar requirement, so US users are protected only by Google's own policy, which can change with notice.

Sent to the cloud

Every sync transfers all recorded data including heart rate, sleep, steps, and GPS to Fitbit's servers. There is no option to use the device without cloud syncing.

Shared with others

Shares your data with Google and other corporate affiliates, service providers, and partners for support, payments, marketing, and research, and shares your name, photo, and friends list with Google for account integration.

Training their AI

Fitbit uses your data to develop new features that may include generative AI models, and draws inferences about you from your sleep patterns, habits, and exercise history.

Selling your data

Google does not sell your personal information and does not share your personal information as that term is defined in the California Consumer Privacy Act; data is shared with affiliates and trusted service providers, with domain administrators for work or school accounts, and non-personally identifiable information may be shared publicly and with partners including publishers, advertisers, developers, or rights holders.

Deleting your data

Fitbit required all users to migrate to Google Accounts by January 2023, eliminating standalone Fitbit accounts. Users who did not migrate lost access to their health history with no option to stay on a Fitbit-only account.

How long they keep it

Account info is kept as long as your account exists. Activity data stays until you delete it or close your account. Most data is deleted within 30 days of account closure, though full deletion can take up to 90 days.

Deleting your data

Fitbit and Google users can delete content from specific services or their entire Google Account, export data via Google Takeout, adjust history and personalization controls, turn off personalized ads in My Ad Center, use Privacy Checkup for key settings, and set data to be deleted automatically after a set period of time.

How long they keep it

Google keeps user-created content until the user removes it, deletes or anonymizes some data automatically after a set period such as advertising data in server logs, and retains some data until account deletion; Google uses encryption to keep data private while in transit and restricts access to employees, contractors, and agents subject to strict contractual confidentiality obligations.