Wearable technologies

The idea

Wearable technologies are digital devices worn on the body, such as smart watches, fitness trackers and smart glasses. They sense data (heart rate, steps, location) and often send it wirelessly to a phone or cloud service. This links directly to the 3.8 theme of ethical, legal and environmental impacts and privacy: wearables can collect continuous personal data, so questions arise about consent, who can access the data, data security and how devices are disposed of. A good answer identifies what the device does, what data it gathers, who might see that data and what harm or benefit could follow.

For example: A fitness tracker sharing location with an insurer raises a privacy concern, while a medical wearable alerting a carer can improve safety.

What earns the marks

• Identifies a wearable as a device worn on the body that collects data, e.g. a smart watch or fitness tracker.
• Explains that wearables gather personal data such as heart rate, activity or location, often transmitted wirelessly.
• Links the device to a privacy issue, e.g. continuous tracking, consent or who can access the data.
• Recognises an ethical, legal or environmental impact, e.g. data misuse, data protection law or e-waste from disposal.

Common mistakes and how to put them right

• Treating a smartphone carried in a pocket as automatically a wearable.

  Put it right: A wearable is worn on the body and typically senses body or movement data.

• Assuming wearables are automatically private because they are personal.

  Put it right: Data is often sent to servers and can be shared, so privacy must be considered.

• Ignoring environmental impact; correction: disposal of batteries and electronics creates e-waste, which is part of the 3.8 scope.

Exam tips

• Read the question stem to see whether it asks about privacy, ethics, law or environment, then match your point to that focus.
• Name the specific data collected rather than saying only 'personal data'.
• Use a concrete example device to make the impact clear in one sentence.