A new class action lawsuit alleges that the blood oxygen sensor in the Apple Watch is not configured to accurately check the percentage of dark skin (black or brown) and must therefore pay Apple for what some say is racial bias against them.
Apple smart watch
Alex Morales said during his lawsuit against Apple that he bought its smart watch between 2020 and 2021, in order to take advantage of the health features provided by the watch, including (checking the level of oxygen in the blood indirectly or without taking a blood sample) and he believed that this feature Functioning normally, Morales did not expect the blood oxygen measurement feature to work in a biased manner based on the color of his skin.
Morales believes that Apple defrauded users and did not tell them that the blood oximeter feature was not accurate with all users. In contrast, white patients receive more accurate results and care than darker-skinned patients when faced with reduced blood oxygenation.
Pulse oximetry feature
Pulse oximeters have been around since the XNUMXs and used light to check oxygen saturation. It was a clip attached to the end of a finger, but with the development of technology, bracelets and smart watches are able to bring this light-dependent health feature. But from their inception until now, these scales have been biased and unable to give accurate readings on darker skin tones, which is why researchers have been trying for some time to develop readers that can work efficiently with black and brown skin without a problem.
Since the sixth generation of the Apple smart watch, the feature of measuring oxygen in the blood has appeared, and Apple indicated that the four LEDs on the back of its watch are able to deal with natural differences in the skin, but they do not provide accurate measurements if the skin is not white.
Apple responded
Apple says on its official website that the blood oxygen measurement feature is designed for fitness and public health purposes only. The company also clarified that pulse oximetry is not intended for medical use, including self-diagnosis or consultation with a doctor. Also, on the Apple Watch's Blood Oxygen app page, the company says that it may not be possible to get an accurate blood oxygen measurement every time even under ideal conditions. And with a small percentage of users.
Finally, it seems that the technology is not neutral and has proven its racism, so that Google tried to exploit this when it marketed its Pixel phone and that it is able to take pictures of dark skin accurately. Also, Apple said that it worked on its artificial intelligence to improve the display of dark skin color, although some users found The opposite, even when using the iPhone 14.
Some may take advantage of technical errors, and try to play the card of racism and prejudice, for the sake of financial gain, but this does not prevent companies from trying to develop their technologies to suit everyone, and if this is not possible, they must be frank with users and tell them that there are challenges in discovering the color of blood and therefore the percentage of oxygen across dark skin.
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