ABSTRACT
This chapter concerns the wearable internet. The miniaturization of digital technologies has led to a proliferation of internet-connected watches, rings, headsets, glasses and health care devices. The data produced by these items – part of the broader Internet of Things – serve multiple purposes: users can track their own health; marketing companies utilize them; they serve as navigational tools; and they are useful for location-based services. The chapter traces the surprisingly long history of this technology and the new territories they open up, such as implanted devices. She describes how they work, such as the sensors, monitors, Bluetooth connections, and the rapid proliferation of apps that service them. It examines controversies surrounding the wearable internet, including surveillance, the quantified self, and artificial intelligence. The chapter concludes by stressing the need for regulation of this industry.
