Our fridge just emailed us to say we opened its door too many times
I have a semi-related anecdote about surprises from devices.<p>I use a CPAP. After a year, I went back to the doctor for a followup, and was asked to bring the SD card so they could review the data it collects. The device records the times and duration of use, various settings, and some metrics on breathing (apnea events, etc). I knew it recorded this stuff on an SD card.<p>I brought the card to the appointment, but the doctor said &quot;I don&#x27;t need that, I have your data here.&quot; It turns out that the CPAP contains a cellular modem, and it phones home and reports in real-time. I had no idea this thing was recording any data at all. It wasn&#x27;t verbally disclosed to me by either the doctor or the equipment technicians. I imagine there&#x27;s something buried in the fine print of the (long lost) documentation, possibly even in the fine print of some form I signed, but I was caught off guard and none too pleased.<p>I&#x27;ve since done some research on this and discussed it with my new doctor when it came time to get a new CPAP. The doctor acted surprised by me having a problem with it. She immediately jumped to the defense of the manufacturer and insurance company, claiming that they &quot;needed&quot; that data. She said that if I disabled it, insurance would refuse coverage.<p>This is insanely invasive, even with disclosure, and ought to be illegal without explicit, obvious verbal and written disclosure. The insurance defense is complete bullshit. For one, I paid cash for the CPAP because I had a high-deductible insurance plan and would have had to pay out-of-pocket anyway (and never claimed it even for the deductible offset).<p>I realize a CPAP isn&#x27;t a fridge, and there&#x27;s at least a case to be made for insurance enforcing compliance (at least when insurance claims are involved). I don&#x27;t agree with the undisclosed enforcement mechanism, nor do I agree that treatment should be contingent on monitoring (it is for some other treatments, but not for most; no one is monitoring diet, exercise, drug use, cigarette consumption, or other risky behaviors, and threatening to withhold treatment for non-compliance).<p>Anyway, I&#x27;ve ranted enough, but there&#x27;s a serious problem with the normalization of surveillance technology.