The racist Apple Watch: A lawsuit should clarify it
It’s a medical phenomenon that’s been known for decades but has only recently received more attention: Pulse oximeters use a measurement correction curve to convert the amount of reflected light into a percentage of oxygen delivery. This curve needs to be adjusted for skin tone – and other characteristics – to get correct readings. The lawsuit emphasizes that “the clinical significance of racial bias in pulse oximetry has been confirmed using records from patients admitted during and before the pandemic.”
The new class action lawsuit was filed by a client December 24 in New York “on behalf of all New York consumers who have purchased an Apple Watch.” But a ruling also affects shoppers in Alaska, Arkansas, Idaho, Iowa, Mississippi, North Carolina, North Dakota, Utah and Wyoming, who are protected by similar consumer laws. The lawsuit also accuses Apple of “breaching an express warranty, fraud and unjust enrichment.” apple insiders in his report.
Apple should have known
Apple is specifically accused of failing to take into account the scientifically known problems with the distortion of the measurement data due to other skin colors when introducing the blood oxygen sensor on the Apple Watch. As a result, the Apple Watch provides significantly less accurate readings of blood oxygen levels in people with darker skin tones. A variable value that can be set depending on the skin color of the wearer would be conceivable here.
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