Safety first when using wearable technology

A recent report from IDC found that shipments of wearable devices in the global market are expected to grow to 111.9 million units in 2018 alone, which will result in a 78.4% compound annual growth rate.

We may be in the early days of wearable technology, but we’re already seeing interesting devices that are giving us a glimpse of where we’re heading (Google Glass, Fitbit, Pebble, Narrative Clip, etc.). And of course, we still have to see what Apple might have up their sleeve in this product category.

This advancement is exciting to see, but a healthy dose of caution is important when it comes to the security of these devices because the new form factors can provide a different set of security concerns than we usually have with computers and smartphones.

With that said, here are three things to keep in mind as you start to make use of wearable devices.

Keep your smartphone secure

While some wearable products can carry out certain tasks on their own, many of them still rely on a connection to your smartphone so that they can send and receive data to your phone and access the Internet. Since your smartphone can be your first line of defense for your wearable device, it’s important to make sure that it’s secure by using something like our Android and iOS apps.

Stay conscious about the devices you’re wearing

In many ways, wearable products are meant to blend in to your daily life, and before you know it, you might even start to forget that you’re wearing them. This can be OK if that’s what you want, but if there are certain times or places where you don’t want a device recording or exchanging data, then you’ll need to remember that you’re wearing it so that you can disconnect it and turn it off.

Show concern for other people’s privacy

Just like there may be times when you wouldn’t want your activity recorded, you can imagine how the use of certain wearable devices that record audio, pictures, or video of other people without their knowledge or consent could lead you down a dangerous path. When using these devices, be sure to show respect for people’s privacy in the same way that you’d like your personal privacy respected.

If you keep these security tips in mind, then you’ll be better prepared to enter the world of wearable devices. We’re just getting started with wearable technology in much the same way that we got started with mobile technology years ago, so we’ll have to keep track of how things develop and adapt our security approach to fit the direction that the industry decides to move.