Apple accused of racism over smartwatches

Apple is being sued in the United States, accusing the company of mishandling its smartwatches. This is reported by Appleinsider.

As it became known to journalists, a lawsuit from New Yorkers was sent by Alex Morales. According to a black American, he was an Apple Watch user with a pulse oximeter function from 2020 to 2021. Morales said that the function of pulse oximetry – determining the level of oxygen saturation in the blood – does not work correctly in people with dark skin color.

“For decades, there have been reports that devices to measure blood oxygen saturation levels were significantly less accurate when in contact with skin of a certain color,” said Alex Morales. According to him, the problem of racism and technology was not addressed until the coronavirus pandemic, during which pulse oximeters became very popular.

Morales believes that Apple knew about the problem, but took no action. The plaintiff cited some research that found that pulse oximeters provided black users with inaccurate data, putting them at increased risk of disease.

According to journalists, in 2015, Apple noted that the heart rate sensor in the Apple Watch may not work correctly for some users. So, age spots and tattoos can affect the accuracy of measurements.

At the end of December 2021, Apple Watch users filed a class action lawsuit against the company over a defective battery that could injure the wearer. According to watch owners, the breakdown of smart watches is due to the company’s disregard for security measures.