The boom times in healthcare gadgetry and related Silicon Valley technology developments appear set to continue, if this week's International Consumer Electronics Show is a reliable harbinger.
The number of “health and biotech” exhibitors at the show is up 35% year over year—and that's without Apple showing its face, according to a report from NPR.
When you couple that with news of increased venture enthusiasm for digital health, it's clear the sector will continue to boom in the months ahead.
But the show also featured Federal Trade Commission Chair Edith Ramirez warning that devicemakers need to do a better job building in data security and making clear who they share data with.
"Will your TV-viewing habits be shared with prospective employers or universities?” she said, as an example. “And will this information be used to paint a picture of you that you won't see but that others will—people who might make decisions about whether you are shown ads for organic food or junk food, where your call to customer service is routed, and what offers of credit and other products you receive?”
That fits in with a long-standing FTC concern with the activities of so-called data brokers who gather data, assemble it into profiles, and then sell it to clients interested in certain market segments.
There's also a practical business concern associated with gadgets. The question on many people's lips is, “Well, does this work?”
Follow Darius Tahir on Twitter: @dariustahir
