Oura and Whoop Turn Your Body Into Data. ‘One Night Only’ Shows How That Can Be Dangerous
A fictional biometric regime feels less remote as wearables collect richer health data. The real issue is not tracking alone, but who controls the record.
Tracking biometrics are all the rage these days. Wearable accessories like rings and bracelets can now constantly monitor our heart rate, steps, hours slept, menstrual phases, blood pressure, and more.
They’re exceedingly popular too, with brands like Whoop valued at just over $10 billion and raising over half a billion dollars in its most recent funding round. Oura, a ring based health tracker, is valued at $11 billion and filed for an IPO in May.
Many of us opt-in to detailed body surveillance for health optimization, but what if our personal biological data was used for another purpose? In Universal Pictures’ newest romantic comedy One Night Only, biometrics are tracked as a part of law enforcement. Specifically, a ban on sex outside of marriage, save for one 12 hour period a year AKA the One Night.
How Tracking Tech Works in the Movie
All single adults in the United States are required to have biometric trackers in their wrists that display either a red or green light depending on whether they can freely have sex or not. These tattoo-like devices track physical markers like dopamine, serotonin, and testosterone to estimate whether someone is engaging in illegal sex acts. These devices are made by fictional tech company Rexton Labs, which is implied to have heavily influenced the legislation outlawing premarital sex.
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Most of the finer details are fuzzy and plot-holes abound in what many think is too high of a concept for a romantic comedy movie. Other critics, like RogerEbert.com’s Marya E. Gates took it a step further calling it a “putrid, regressive film that thinks justifying embracing fascism is okay if it’s in the name of love.”
Overall, it seems many viewers and critics are too stuck on questions about this film’s insidious backdrop to invest in its central romantic premise. Perhaps the most troubling hang up is not necessarily that the movie doesn’t flesh out its sex-purge rules and context enough, but just how close we could be to living in that world.
Real-World Parallels
While light-up wrist implants have yet to hit the market, highly accurate ovulation trackers are incorporated into Oura rings and with the intent to “help you trustyour instincts” and “align your day with your body’s needs.” These features aim to help women track their menstrual cycles for both natural birth control or conception purposes, as well as suggest different cycle-based training suggestions (an exercise concept that has been largely scientifically unsupported).
Source: www.inc.com
