A program to provide wristbands to children in Guernsey for monitoring and improving their health will now have enhanced privacy protections, according to the island’s data protection authority. The Office of the Data Protection Authority (ODPA) collaborated with Guernsey’s Health Improvement Commission (HIC) and the wristband manufacturer to strengthen privacy safeguards and improve transparency.
HIC partnered with UK-based manufacturer Moki to supply wristbands to schoolchildren in Guernsey, aiming to track their activity levels and promote wellbeing, the ODPA reported. Guernsey’s data protection commissioner, Brent Homan, emphasized the importance of safeguarding children’s sensitive personal information, particularly when dealing with health-related data.
While the initiative was seen as having “high social benefit,” Homan praised HIC’s approach to privacy. The ODPA confirmed that Moki’s existing safeguards were robust but worked with the company to improve the transparency of its communications.
Additionally, the ODPA requested that HIC and Moki ensure parents actively opt in for their children to participate in the program, moving away from the original opt-out policy. Moki, which supplies wristbands to over 1,500 schools in the UK, received praise for its high privacy standards. Homan added, “We are pleased to see Moki’s commitment to safeguarding children’s data and making transparency improvements that will benefit not only users in Guernsey but across the UK.”
