Are we really expected to believe that manufacturers of power meters are suddenly going to prioritize our data privacy by introducing local data processing, when for years theyve been profiting off selling our ride data to third-party companies? It seems like a convenient marketing ploy to me. Whats to stop them from still transmitting our data to their servers, even if its processed locally on the device first?
How can we trust that our data isnt being secretly uploaded to some cloud server, only to be sold to the highest bidder? And dont even get me started on the security measures they claim to have in place. If they cant even secure their own websites from hacking, how can we expect them to protect our sensitive training data?
And what about the firmware updates? Are we just supposed to blindly trust that the latest update isnt installing some new data-tracking feature that we dont want? Its not like we have any real control over whats happening on these devices. Were just expected to hand over our money and trust that the manufacturer is acting in our best interests.
But heres the thing: most cyclists dont even care about data privacy. Theyre too busy obsessing over their Strava numbers and trying to one-up each other on social media. So, are these new privacy-focused power meters really going to make a difference, or are they just a way to make us feel better about ourselves while still exploiting our data for profit?