[M T]

I went to the Apple store recently to try the Apple Watch 7's capability to measure blood oxygen level.  I tried it, but it said "This is not a measurement".   I was told that because the watch would remember the measurement (of heart rate, SPO2, ...) and that such measurements are HIPAA protected, that Apple decided that in demo mode they would not take an actual measurement.

I suppose that people could opt in for having their vital signs sent to some aggregator, but I'm not sure what company wants to take on the risk of collecting such HIPAA protected data.

Be careful what you wish for... Imagine the pressure on the CDC to shutdown certain sporting events because of an unacceptable number of excess deaths due to it.

[M T]

I went to the Apple store recently to try the Apple Watch 7's capability to measure blood oxygen level.  I tried it, but it said "This is not a measurement".   I was told that because the watch would remember the measurement (of heart rate, SPO2, ...) and that such measurements are HIPAA protected, that Apple decided that in demo mode they would not take an actual measurement.

I suppose that people could opt in for having their vital signs sent to some aggregator, but I'm not sure what company wants to take on the risk of collecting such HIPAA protected data.

Be careful what you wish for... Imagine the pressure on the CDC to shutdown certain sporting events because of an unacceptable number of excess deaths due to it.