US police have used Fitbit tracking data to prove that a woman was lying about an alleged crime.
43-year-old Jeannine Risley, from Pennsylvania, told police in March that she had been sexually assaulted by a man who broke into her home while she was sleeping.
She claimed he was in his 30s and wearing boots.
They duly launched an investigation, but made a U-turn when they realised that a few things didn’t quite stack up.
One of these was the fact that there were no footprints in the snow outside Risley’s home.
Much more illuminating, however, was the data on her Fitbit activity tracker.
Risley originally claimed that it had been lost in the struggle, though when it was found and analysed, it showed that Risley had been “awake and walking” at the time of the alleged attack.
The police have since disproved her claims, and have instead charged Risley with false reports to law enforcement, false alarms to public safety, and tampering with evidence.
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The outcome might have been very different if Risley instead monitored her health with the Apple Watch. Since battery life on Apple’s wristpiece is poor, she most likely would have had it hooked up to a charger during the night, rather than wrapped around her arm.
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Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
