Samsung Galaxy Watch 3
Summary
The Samsung Galaxy Watch 3 is the latest generation of Samsung smartwatches. The watch allows you to track physical activity, sleep, measure blood oxygen levels, and more. The watch can be purchased starting at $399.
Breach History
Has there ever been a breach or data leak?
Date of last breach
February 2020
Samsung admitted up to 150 users were victims of a cyber-security breach that exposed an unknown amount of personal information about the affected users.
Privacy Checklist
Is any kind of biometric data collected (health, heart, voice, etc.)?
Are you able to delete your data / the data collected about you?
Does it use cookies, telemetry, or third-party tracking scripts?
Is the privacy policy user-friendly (easy to understand)?
Does it have parental controls?
Does it use encryption to protect your data both in-transit and at-rest?
Does it get regular software and / or firmware updates?
Does it require you to create a strong password?
Is there a system in place for managing security vulnerabilities?
Does it have a privacy policy?
How Can It Snoop?
Does it have a camera or request / require access to a camera?
Does it have a microphone or request / require access to a microphone?
Does it track your location or request / require access to location data?
Account Requirements
Does it require an email address to use?
Does it require a phone number to use?
Does it require an address (home or office) to use?
Payment Options
Are you able to use a credit card as a payment option?
Are you able to use a cryptocurrency as a payment option?
Are you able to use PayPal as a payment option?
Are you able to use cash or gift cards as a payment option?
What Could Go Wrong?
Samsung collects personal information from its users such as name, email, mailing address, phone number, payment information, date of birth, gender, and IP address. Samsung may also collect some publicly or commercially-available information about you from third parties, and use your information to target you with personalized ads and share with service providers. Be aware of these risks before purchasing.
How Does It Share Your Data?
Samsung can share personal information with service providers, but the information is only to be used for specifically designated tasks. Otherwise, Samsung does not share your information.
Good Things
- Great quality design.
- Advanced sleep tracking.
- Advanced running tools.
Bad Things
- Missing blood pressure feature.
- Battery life is disappointing.
- Some privacy concerns.
Final Thoughts
Samsung seems to do a decent job of protecting the privacy of its users. However, Samsung does collect a lot of information and use it to target you with ads, although it does not share information with unauthorized third parties. Be aware of this before purchasing this smartwatch, but overall, the watch does not appear to pose a major risk.