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Consider the plausible scenario of Apple developing a superior hearing aid -- a medical device. If that happens, will people be able to use best medical device
by neilv 2y ago
Consider the plausible scenario of Apple developing a superior hearing aid -- a medical device.
If that happens, will people be able to use best medical device without being subject to the various liberties that tech companies take with users -- violating privacy, and exercising leverage to other purposes?
We've become acclimated to expect violation from the "tech" industry, but what about the medical field?
- candiddevmike 2y agoThe FDA, for all of its warts, is pretty good at curbing bad behavior like this. All medical devices are pretty rigorously controlled, to the point where you can't really add anything to it that isn't absolutely necessary for the device to function. And if you do, there's an encyclopedia worth of paperwork you're going to have to write to defend why the functionality is needed. FDA likes to "duck type" things, and if your duck doesn't look like the other ducks, you need to create a new animal or make your duck look like other ducks.
- neilv 2y agoInteresting. Do you think the FDA will be more proactive and sharper, than regulatory authorities that got confused in the past by tech companies (Airbnb, Uber, RealPage (YieldStar), and others)?
- candiddevmike 2y agoThe opposite, they're going to be ridiculously stubborn and require all of these high tech gadgets to be "less". The I in FDA stands for innovation.
- chrisweekly 2y ago> "The I in FDA stands for innovation." LOL. I hadn't seen this before. Quote? Or did you coin it?
- gwern 2y agoEspecially here. Expecting good faith in hearing aid regulation - from the FDA?! Remember, Congress authorized OTC hearing aids back in the Trump administration, in August 2017 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Over-the-Counter_Hearing_Aid_Act_of_2017 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Over-the-Counter_Hearing_Aid_A...). For perspective, GPT-1 didn't even exist yet. But the FDA slow-walked it so long that the Biden administration had to intervene (and is now trying to claim credit for it all, of course), which is part of why the OTC hearing aid explosion has taken so long, been so tentative and slow, and you're only seeing it really taking off the past 2 years or so.
- tomrod 2y agoIf they hadn't intervened, would it have happened?
- gwern 2y agoHard to say. They could have fiddled with the rules to make it really unappetizing and kill the market, or slowwalk every last thing (how many vaping products have been approved?). It could have taken many more years and been a lot worse, which is a tragedy for the many, many old people who seriously need it. (Like my grandfather. I also appreciate it, because while OTC hearing aids are - for now - too weak for my hearing loss, it's providing much more competition for the prescription hearing aid oligopoly and I'm benefiting indirectly. The jump between my hearing aids from 2017 to the pair I bought this year is the largest jump in quality I've heard in my hearing aids in like 20+ years.)
- deleted 2y ago[deleted]
- sureIy 2y agoI think this event proves you absolutely wrong. They approved hearing aid “software”, meaning it can run on arbitrary hardware that may or may not have the restrictions you’re talking about… as part of other “software”
- mike_d 2y ago> We've become acclimated to expect violation from the "tech" industry, but what about the medical field? Oh, you sweet innocent child. Look at price gouging on EpiPens, J&J "lifelong" hip implants needing replacement every few years, insulin pumps with proprietary batteries, glucose monitors that actively prevent you from reading data, etc. Big bad tech companies don't hold a candle to the medical industry.
- deleted 2y ago[deleted]
- StressedDev 2y agoHow is Apple violating people’s privacy? They have done a far better job than other companies from what I'm have seen.
- zie 2y agoI mean they are the best of the big tech companies, by a country mile, but that's not really saying a lot. If you want the full details, go read the privacy policy with a skeptic's perspective.
- Angostura 2y ago“Do your own research “
- thowawatp302 2y agoEverything in there seems fine to me, not sure what you’re talking about
- kevin_thibedeau 2y agoScanning for image hashes on everyone's phone is one.
- echoangle 2y agoThey aren't doing that currently though, right? The only thing I remember is the NeuralHash thing which was delayed and then never came.
- cm2012 2y agoBig tech - including even Meta but definitely including Apple - have an insanely better track record of keeping user data safe than traditional non-tech companies.
- olalonde 2y agoIf you take away economic incentive from Apple, the plausible scenario is that Apple is simply not going to develop such superior devices.