June 30, 2025

Your Health Data Isn’t Private (Yet)

Why You Should Own, Not Rent, Your Digital Self

From wearables to wellness apps, lab tests to smart rings, we’re generating more health data than ever. It’s detailed, continuous, and deeply personal. And most of us assume it’s private.

But here’s the truth: your health data isn’t fully yours. Not yet.

What Actually Happens to Your Health Data?

When you use a fitness tracker or health app:

  • Your data is often stored on company servers
  • It may be shared with advertisers or third parties
  • It can be used to train AI models without your explicit consent

Even with regulations like HIPAA, many consumer-grade tools fall outside traditional health privacy laws. That means your heart rate, sleep, location, and even reproductive data may be used in ways you never intended.

The Rental Model of Digital Identity

Right now, most people rent their digital selves:

  • You provide the data
  • Platforms control access, storage, and usage
  • You get insights (sometimes), but lose transparency and agency

This is like paying rent on your own identity without knowing who holds the keys.

What Digital Ownership Looks Like

True digital self-ownership means:

  • Your data lives in environments you control
  • You decide who can access it, when, and for what purpose
  • You can revoke access anytime
  • You benefit from your data’s value, not just companies

It’s not just about privacy. It’s about power.

Why This Matters Now

As AI, precision medicine, and personalized wellness scale, the value of your health data is exploding. But without ownership:

  • You’re left out of the equation
  • You can’t verify or contextualize how insights are generated
  • You risk being profiled without representation

Own, Don’t Rent

At Fulcra, we believe the future of health optimization is user-owned and context-aware. That means:

  • You control your Timeline
  • You choose what gets shared (and with whom)
  • You benefit from a unified view of your life, not someone else’s business model

Health data is personal. It should be private, portable, and yours. The question isn’t whether your digital self exists, it’s whether you own it.