Apple Working on a Tech to Monitor Mental Health?

While the iPhone maker is the most truste Big Tech firm, we still don't like what it could be doing with the users' data...

Apple store

In what could sound like a page from the famous 1984 novel, Apple is reportedly working on a technology that could track its users’ mood swings and perhaps, at some point, diagnose them with mental health issues. Yup, this all comes from the same company behind the legendary 1984 ad that was used to launch the very first Macintosh.

Now, we have to admit that helping people in distress is a noble cause but it also opens a number of privacy and even health-related concerns. For instance, what happens if savvy hackers manage to get that data? Or what if that algorithm comes to a long conclusion?

Reportedly, the Cupertino-based company will rely on the iPhone data to do its magic in the background and since there are so many iUsers out there, it may be able to filter out the false negatives. Still…

How will Apple track the user’s mental health?

Apple is said to be working with the University of California (UCLA) and the pharmaceutical company Biogen on technology to diagnose depression, anxiety, and cognitive decline. It would employ special algorithms to analyze the user’s mobility, sleep pattern, physical activity, heart rate, and even typing behavior to determine whether something’s wrong.

To make sure users’ data doesn’t get compromised, Apple will keep the data only on the iPhone and not on its servers, though you never know what the future holds.

While the iPhone is pretty powerful, it could use an additional boost in computing power for number-crunching — and at that point, Tim Cook & co. may decide to move the analysis to the cloud.

This mental health diagnosis comes on the heels of last year’s work of UCLA, which collected Apple Watch and iPhone data from 150 volunteers with the goal to track another 3,000 people this year to study stress, anxiety, and depression.

Biogen on its end uses similar data to identify mild cognitive impairment that could develop into Alzheimer’s. The joint results of these two studies might be used to create new features for Apple’s users.

Why is this bad for privacy?

As noted above, we think Apple is one of the nicest Big Tech firms and its CEO Tim Cook said they plan to make a dent in people’s health. So, let’s say we trust their noble intentions; what we don’t like is the fact that every time we use our iPhone and an Apple Watch, a smart piece of software is recording it. And even if that data remains only on the device, it could still fall into the wrong hands. You can never be sure.

What could go wrong?

There are a number of things that could go wrong, including:

  • Your smartphone could be stolen or you may lose it.
  • Your smartphone could be hacked.
  • A vicious employee might snoop on your data.
  • Apple could accidentally expose your data in a major hack.

Once a hacker has that data, he/she may try to blackmail you or do you (virtual) harm in another way.

The thing is that for this technology to work, you will have to give Apple permission to pretty much everything you do with your iPhone and that, as noted above, leaves room for privacy nightmares.

How much data are you willing to share?

Apple, and other tech giants for that matter, already know a ton about us. However, what makes the iPhone maker stand out is the fact that it also has access to its users’ health data. Google has some of that data but not to the extent Apple does.

The situation is even worse for Apple Watch owners, who are already willingly giving away their vital health data. It is, however, worth adding that doing this is or could be beneficial for the wearer’s health — as their doctors and family members could be notified if something’s not right.

So what do we make out of this?

When it comes to health data, we trust Apple has a good intention. However, good intention is not enough and with the growing pile of data comes big responsibility. So far, Apple has held its part of the bargain and users’ data is securely stored on its servers.

But what the future holds is anyone’s guess. Perhaps, some new technology will be invented and Apple won’t be as cool and as profitable as it is today. At that point, they may try to experiment with new business models. That user data that also includes health information is a treasure trove they could always turn for more profits.

We think that won’t happen but we also don’t share that much with major companies. It is up to each of us to decide how much of his personal life is shared and stored on the big corporations’ servers.

Also, we like using VPNs not to be tracked online by anyone. How about you? How willing are you to share your health data with Apple and other tech giants? The comment form is all yours…