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Should companies control your health data? Here’s what happened with Garmin
I’m reading today's news about Garmin’s API, and I'm sitting here thinking there’s more to this. Here's the story of what happened.
I’m reading today's news about Garmin’s API, and I'm sitting here thinking there’s more to this.
We built Terra around connectivity across sources, and the belief that data belongs to the user.
Garmin had an API program for years, and we started working with them about 5 years ago.
About a month ago, they instructed us to make changes to our API. At the same time, they blocked our ability to make those changes by blocking our access to their platform.
We thought it might be a mistake, so we reached out: we needed access restored to make the changes.
Radio silence.
We contacted them at every level, by every means imaginable.
A few weeks later, they confirmed they blocked access because we didn’t make the requested changes.
So they asked us to make changes, blocked us from doing them, and then blocked us for not complying.
So they blocked an entire ecosystem and hundreds of thousands of users from connecting their data.
This created massive chaos.
We are on tens of calls every day, and receive thousands of complaints from users who rightfully ask why.
Since they stopped replying, we asked some customers to reach out to their CEO (his email is publicly listed) and explain the impact.
What Garmin customers were asked to sign
We then heard from customers that they were asked
- to pay different $ amounts for API access
- were forced not to use Terra
- to sign new terms explicitly ruling out the use of third parties.
So, third parties are blocked? Interesting.
So apps can't use third-party employees, AIs, cloud providers, or any analytics platform? What can they do?
EU law gives users the right to share data
EU Data Act, Article 5, points to the Right of the user to share data with third parties.
It’s meant for things like this. In the EU, the law gives users the right to control their own data.
We then asked them to fulfil their EU Data Act obligations for a number of our users on September 29. We followed up many days later.
Radio silence.
And we come to today. Their new API enterprise and startup program has a similar setup to Terra.
And a reporter speaks badly about us.
Coincidence.
Am I suggesting we have a monopoly on APIs? No. We allow connectivity across sources, and they have a source. But a rational person would think app ecosystems make devices more useful.
Your device does not own your data
What can one make of this?
Companies seem to benefit from disconnected data. Users' rights don’t really matter. But this is BS.
Just because you use a device doesn't give that company the right to your data.
Connecting your data can help you perform better, stay healthier, achieve your goals.
We spent 6 years in this space fighting nonsense like this.
Our mission has been simple: make health data accessible, connected, and useful so developers and AIs can build better experiences for everyone.
Progress only happens when developers can build across platforms, and when people can freely move their data.
And users should own their data.
