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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| John Hancock adds fitness tracking to all policies | John Hancock adds fitness tracking to all policies |
| (about 14 hours later) | |
| One of the largest life insurance providers in North America will no longer offer policies that do not include digital fitness tracking. | One of the largest life insurance providers in North America will no longer offer policies that do not include digital fitness tracking. |
| John Hancock will now sell only "interactive" policies that collect health data through wearable devices such as a smartwatch. | John Hancock will now sell only "interactive" policies that collect health data through wearable devices such as a smartwatch. |
| Policyholders can earn discounts and rewards such as gift cards for hitting exercise targets. | Policyholders can earn discounts and rewards such as gift cards for hitting exercise targets. |
| But critics said the announcement was "creepy" and "dystopian". | But critics said the announcement was "creepy" and "dystopian". |
| Insurance brand Vitality - an international partner of John Hancock - has popularised the idea of "interactive" health and life insurance by offering discounted devices such as the Apple Watch in connection with its policies. | Insurance brand Vitality - an international partner of John Hancock - has popularised the idea of "interactive" health and life insurance by offering discounted devices such as the Apple Watch in connection with its policies. |
| John Hancock launched its first interactive policy in 2015 and will now apply the model across all of its policies. | John Hancock launched its first interactive policy in 2015 and will now apply the model across all of its policies. |
| Activity-tracking devices such as the Apple Watch and Fitbit can record how much exercise somebody is doing and can be used to log dietary choices. | Activity-tracking devices such as the Apple Watch and Fitbit can record how much exercise somebody is doing and can be used to log dietary choices. |
| But privacy advocates have warned that insurers could use tracking data to punish customers who fail to meet targets. | But privacy advocates have warned that insurers could use tracking data to punish customers who fail to meet targets. |
| "Naturally the American dystopian surveillance state will combine insurance with fat-shaming. Welcome to hell," said Matt Stoller, a fellow at the Open Markets Institute. | "Naturally the American dystopian surveillance state will combine insurance with fat-shaming. Welcome to hell," said Matt Stoller, a fellow at the Open Markets Institute. |
| However, the insurance industry says it is tightly regulated and must be able to justify rate increases or policy changes. | However, the insurance industry says it is tightly regulated and must be able to justify rate increases or policy changes. |
| John Hancock said customers would not have to log their activities to qualify for coverage - but they would not benefit from the discounts if they chose not to. | |
| The company told Reuters it was too early to say whether it was paying fewer claims because of the Vitality programme. | The company told Reuters it was too early to say whether it was paying fewer claims because of the Vitality programme. |
| But it said the data it had collected so far suggested that Vitality policyholders lived between 13 and 21 years longer than the rest of the insured population. | But it said the data it had collected so far suggested that Vitality policyholders lived between 13 and 21 years longer than the rest of the insured population. |