U.S. Senators Rick Scott and Dave McCormick have requested an FCC investigation into security risks linked to health wearables and medical devices manufactured or containing parts from China. The lawmakers warn that biometric data collected from popular consumer items—ranging from smartwatches to glucose monitors—could potentially be accessed by the Chinese government under its domestic cybersecurity laws.

Security Concerns

The security concerns focus on the massive amount of personal information these devices gather every day. Modern wearable tech tracks real-time data including heart rates, location, blood pressure, sleep cycles, and blood sugar levels. Because Chinese domestic cybersecurity laws require companies operating inside China to hand over data to the government on demand, lawmakers argue that any device carrying Chinese components creates an automatic security vulnerability.

The warning extends past basic consumer fitness bands to specialized health equipment. The senators asked the FCC to examine multiple categories of tech, including personal emergency response pendants, remote blood pressure monitors, continuous glucose monitors, and smart hearing aids.

Call to Action

The senators requested that the FCC look into whether certain categories of these connected health products and their underlying transmitters should be added to the official federal Covered List, which restricts technologies deemed a threat to national security.

Original reporting: Tampa Free Press — read the source article.