There's been a tonne of buzz (read: backlash) online – notably on Reddit and TikTok – about Oura ring this week, the smart device that tracks everything from stress to sleep, after it announced it would be expanding its operations in the US and teaming up with controversial data analytics company, Palantir.
For those unfamiliar with Palantir, it was founded by Peter Thiel, the eyebrow-raising entrepreneur who has an obsession with trying to live forever, is pro-MAGA and who once said "freedom is not compatible with democracy". The company is named after the crystal balls in Lord of the Rings that are used to spy on enemies and offers software that pulls together large amounts of data from different sources to assess for patterns – this can help with everything from detecting fraud to assessing people's relationships with one another.
Understandably, when Oura fans heard that it had teamed up with Palantir, concerns about privacy were shared, with Redditors and some TikTok users declaring they'd be walking away from the wearable for good. Ditto, plenty of misinformation ran wild (the expression 'a lie can make it halfway around the world before the truth has even had time to put its shoes on'? Very apt here).
However, the brand has now spoken to Cosmopolitan UK in an attempt to clear up said concerns, explaining that the collaboration with Palantir is limited to the US' Department of Defense, rather than being something that impacts the average consumer in any way.
A spokesperson said, "We want to reassure our community that nothing has changed in how Oura handles your data. As explained in our Privacy Policy, we will never sell data and we only share Oura member data with a third party (e.g., Apple Health or Strava) with a member's express consent.
"Our recent announcement referring to our work with the US Department of Defence (DoD) is exclusively limited to our project support for U.S. service men and women. Unless you're a U.S. service member who is enrolled in a DoD health or human-performance program that uses Oura Ring – and you have consented to share your data with that program – your data will never be shared with the DoD. Oura CEO Tom Hale responded here to set the record straight."
It makes sense that the Department of Defense would be cautious and in need of a high security partner, given that back in 2017, some Strava users serving in the military unwittingly revealed the location of secret bases and spy posts. The Palantir x Oura crossover seems to be focussed on preventing anything like this happening again, rather than mining users for sensitive data to share with the US government.
The spokesperson continued on to deny that Oura has a widespread strategic partnership with Palantir. "Palantir provides the security layer for some of the DoD's projects with Oura, particularly projects with rigorous security requirements to operate Oura's platform within secure environments," they said. "This security layer is entirely separate from Oura's consumer platform and does not interact with customer data."
So, there you have it. But, data-sharing or not, as for whether or not Oura users still want to own or subscribe to a product from a brand that jumps into bed with Peter Thiel, a man who backs the anti-vaccine, tradwife-promoting Evie magazine, is a whole other question...
Jennifer Savin is Cosmopolitan UK's multiple award-winning Features Editor, who was crowned Digital Journalist of the Year for her work tackling the issues most important to young women. She regularly covers breaking news, cultural trends, health, the royals and more, using her esteemed connections to access the best experts along the way. She's grilled everyone from high-profile politicians to A-list celebrities, and has sensitively interviewed hundreds of people about their real life stories. In addition to this, Jennifer is widely known for her own undercover investigations and campaign work, which includes successfully petitioning the government for change around topics like abortion rights and image-based sexual abuse. Jennifer is also a published author, documentary consultant (helping to create BBC’s Deepfake Porn: Could You Be Next?) and a patron for Y.E.S. (a youth services charity). Alongside Cosmopolitan, Jennifer has written for The Times, Women’s Health, ELLE and numerous other publications, appeared on podcasts, and spoken on (and hosted) panels for the Women of the World Festival, the University of Manchester and more. In her spare time, Jennifer is a big fan of lipstick, leopard print and over-ordering at dinner. Follow Jennifer on Instagram, X or LinkedIn.
