“You don’t think this data means anything, and then all the sudden somebody else takes the data and rearranges it, and all of a sudden it’s a big deal,” Dr. Slomovic pointed out. We’ve already seen some surprising ways that fitness data can be repurposed, like when Nathan Ruser, a student at Australian National University, used data from the fitness app Strava to reveal the locations of military bases.

Many wellness programs ask you to complete surveys and risk assessments to earn points. These surveys may also ask questions you’re not comfortable answering, like whether you plan to get pregnant in the next year or two. There’s not much to gain from sharing this type of info, and you should avoid doing so — you don’t have to answer every question.

If your family is covered by your health plan, it’s important to consider their privacy as well, especially your children. Make sure your children don’t fill out any health surveys that aren’t covered by HIPAA, and watch out for programs that overreach for their data (and your partner’s, too).

Even if you trust all these companies to never share your health information, don’t forget about the possibility of data breaches.

In a paper published in the Annals of Internal Medicine (subscription required), researchers found that 71 percent of 1,461 reported data breaches at hospitals between October 2009 and July 2019 included sensitive info, such as patient names, addresses, email addresses, or other personal identifiers. These breaches exposed millions of people to the risk of identity theft or financial fraud.

What should I do?

Wellness programs are often marketed as a way for you to earn money, but you can also view your participation as a cost.

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