Phone home garbage

Forums › Gadgets, robotics, home automation, electronics (including wearables) › Phone home garbage

sir1963

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#319285 9-Apr-2025 17:46

Bought a Beurer blood pressure monitor at lunchtime

I bought that one because it was rechargeable, I also hate throwing out batteries .

For it to work "properly" ie even to set the date and time, you MUST use their App and connect to the device by Bluetooth.

This gives them permission to grab a LOT of confidential information and send it to Germany.

Say no to data collection and you lose access to things like setting the date.
Any data they have collected remains their property.

By 5:30 it was returned for a full refund

But I now have another company I will never use.

Yes, more can be done by having a App, but that still does not mean it needs to share that information elsewhere.

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#3362361 9-Apr-2025 18:56

Good on you for returning it instead of just putting up with it.

Ge0rge

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#3362487 9-Apr-2025 21:26

@Tinkerisk guess the GDPR doesn't apply to companies in the EU who want to harvest data of people who don't reside there...

SepticSceptic

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#3362494 9-Apr-2025 23:00

I think that this would be a prime candidate for Louis Rossmann's Wiki of shame .

Enshitification of product

https://wiki.rossmanngroup.com/wiki/List_of_companies

mudguard

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#3362501 10-Apr-2025 06:16

I guess my question is what do you need from the monitor? To give you the number then you enter it yourself manually somewhere else?

eracode

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#3362504 10-Apr-2025 06:31

Unfortunately for every person like you who makes a stand on principle, there will be 999 who will use it without a second thought.

Sometimes I just sit and think. Other times I just sit.

alasta

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#3362545 10-Apr-2025 10:45

eracode:

Unfortunately for every person like you who makes a stand on principle, there will be 999 who will use it without a second thought.

Most people don't seem to care about privacy any more. Just look at the number of people who share every intimate detail of their lives with Meta/Facebook/whatever.

Wheelbarrow01

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#3362579 10-Apr-2025 11:40

alasta:

eracode:

Unfortunately for every person like you who makes a stand on principle, there will be 999 who will use it without a second thought.

Most people don't seem to care about privacy any more. Just look at the number of people who share every intimate detail of their lives with Meta/Facebook/whatever.

Agreed, it's ridiculous. I was sick of paying full price for everything at Woolworths because I refused to download their app. In the end I did download it long enough to get an everyday rewards barcode under a false name and burner email address, then I simply screenshot the barcode, saved it to a quick access album on my phone, and deleted the app.

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neb

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#3362713 10-Apr-2025 14:23

Wheelbarrow01:

Agreed, it's ridiculous. I was sick of paying full price for everything at Woolworths because I refused to download their app. In the end I did download it long enough to get an everyday rewards barcode under a false name and burner email address, then I simply screenshot the barcode, saved it to a quick access album on my phone, and deleted the app. But it's retarded that you have to do that just to pay reasonable grocery prices.

You can still get a physical card, under a fake name. However almost all of the "discounts" you get are as fake as the name you use, run your stuff through the till and the total is $X, scan the card and it'll say "you saved $Y!", with the total still being $X after the scan.

Behodar

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#3362714 10-Apr-2025 14:27

That's my experience too. The products that are on special have their reward card logo next to them (presumably to make you think it's a perk of having a card), but you get the special price regardless of whether you have the card.

SomeoneSomewhere

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#3362721 10-Apr-2025 14:56

Someone on reddit figured out how to generate valid rewards card numbers for both supermarket chains.

scuwp

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#3362724 10-Apr-2025 14:59

Behodar:

That's my experience too. The products that are on special have their reward card logo next to them (presumably to make you think it's a perk of having a card), but you get the special price regardless of whether you have the card.

There are plenty of deals where the members price is lower. Maybe it's just what you are buying. Same at New World. Last general household shop was just under $60 difference with/without the card.

I admit, I am one of those who don't really care if they know what I buy, or how often, or how much, or how much I weigh, or how old I am, what color my hair is, whether I prefer Coke or Sprite, how many fillings I have, or what color underwear I have on, or whatever else these companies think they need to know about me to provide a better "service". I see that info as quite benign and my tin foil hat is firmly away in the back cupboard.

I do have some limits, and the personal medical info the OP talked about would be over that line. Right call I reckon, full support.

Lazy is such an ugly word, I prefer to call it selective participation

gehenna

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#3362729 10-Apr-2025 15:15

Mod edit - edited a post to remove a FUG breach. Please be mindful of language that marginalises some of our community.

sir1963

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#3362764 10-Apr-2025 18:05

mudguard:

I guess my question is what do you need from the monitor? To give you the number then you enter it yourself manually somewhere else?

The point was it had a rechargeable battery, I hate throw away batteries .

The fact it had bluetooth was not a sale point I cared about, and would have used it in dumb mode, but not even being able to set the date without their APP.....no way.

But I found a rechargeable unit with no bluetooth elsewhere and have spent my $$ there instead.

mudguard

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#3362768 10-Apr-2025 18:23

sir1963:

mudguard:

I guess my question is what do you need from the monitor? To give you the number then you enter it yourself manually somewhere else?

The point was it had a rechargeable battery, I hate throw away batteries .

The fact it had bluetooth was not a sale point I cared about, and would have used it in dumb mode, but not even being able to set the date without their APP.....no way.

But I found a rechargeable unit with no bluetooth elsewhere and have spent my $$ there instead.

My point was I had to monitor mine for a month or so awhile back and found it convenient to put on. Press button. Then a month later show my GP the results all neatly in an app. I don't remember it requesting a tonne of data to be fair.

I wouldn't have done it if I'd had to write the numbers down twice a day.

But it takes AA batteries but I guess they still make rechargeable versions of those.

sir1963

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#3362770 10-Apr-2025 18:48

mudguard:

My point was I had to monitor mine for a month or so awhile back and found it convenient to put on. Press button. Then a month later show my GP the results all neatly in an app. I don't remember it requesting a tonne of data to be fair.

I wouldn't have done it if I'd had to write the numbers down twice a day.

But it takes AA batteries but I guess they still make rechargeable versions of those.

I have been entering data manually for years for my blood sugars, yes the device connects etc, but then I have to manual enter before/after meal, what meds I used, how much I used etc etc etc.

I am just on a new pill that can impact blood pressure and had a very "off" day so just wanted to check to see if its my BP that doing this.

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