In a faculty research seminar at the School of Public Policy (SPP) on February 20, Associate Professor Gina Neff presented her current research on regulatory questions surrounding the quantified self (QS). As Neff explained, QS is the term used to describe a set of consumer electronics that allow users to measure personal data such as health and fitness indicators. The emergence and popularity of these products create questions for state and medical agencies.
According to Neff, QS opens the door to “fights for control and access of data.” A number of regulatory issues arise, including the control of data generated by devices that are always turned on, the extent to which health records will be used against QS community members by external parties like insurance companies, and the response of the medical community to QS.
Neff’s book with Dawn Nafus on QS and how consumer electronics are challenging state and medical authorities will be published later this year as part of the MIT Press Essential Knowledge series.