Producers of smart watches have become a major seller of so-called "sleeping data" to insurance companies. These have now introduced new penalties for their clients, which are not sleeping the recommended 8h of sleep a day. 

What data are producers of smart watches collecting and what's the role of insurance companies in all of this?

In recent years, multiple companies have fine-tuned their sleeping data collection methods and were able to fully monitor the sleep of smart watch owners from their brand, such as:

• movement during sleep
  • can show which sleep phase you are in and their duration -> sleep quality
• on-screen and off-screen time

Insurance companies, which want the insured population to sleep in order to stay healthy. Bad sleeping habits are a risk factor for various diseases and will likely increase health spending in the long run. To combat that, they charge insured more for their services. Insurance Companies are able to do more research about the risks and uncertainties of smart watch technology. 

Consequences

The population's sleep habits have become totally controlled by insurance companies. Additionally, there are a lot of uncertainties regarding the 8h of lacking sleep, which are expected to make people more likely to contract diseases. 

Why did we get there? What did we miss?

A clear legal framework around the use of personal data generated by smart watches is missing. Clear legal framework for Insurance companies and their ability to punish bad health behaviour is not existing.

What could Swiss stakeholders have done to avoid this?

Swiss private corporations did not join civil society in their trial to create a voluntary smart watch data management framework. Swiss insurance companies could have led by example by refusing to acquire such data, as they too have a moral responsibility towards the population.