Does Resmed even ask for your permission before uploading your data ?

[S. Manz]

I am asking this question because I am genuinely interested to know, as I don't recall having ever given permission for my data to be uploaded, yet immediately after each therapy session, my machine dials some server in the cloud (without my permission) for lord only knows who, to review and / or archive my medical data (yes your sleep data is your medical data)....As a result I have disconnected my machine's modem, yet I am still interested to know if somewhere along the line we as consumers give Resmed such permission and do not know it.
Let me know what you think about it.

[SarcasticDave94]

I am only guessing, maybe there's some mention of this in the fine print lawyer stuff at the bottom of the DME paperwork.

[S. Manz]

Hum...I wouldn't know because I buy my own machines and disable the modem. This way I don't have to deal with my medical data to be disseminated among god knows how many people AND I don't have to deal with some bozo insurance agent threatening to pull the plug on my sleep.
The cost difference is certainly worth what I get in return which is my privacy and peace of mind, so this is something very personal and only you can make that decision and since if you have an RX for a new machine already, you also have the choice.
All that is required by your doctor is for you to send your data to them . It could be by email  or handing it over using the SD card that comes with the machine, on a regular basis or when he/she wants to review your data. There's no legal reason that compels you to upload your data to Resmed servers.
Now, Resmed does not even ask if you want to send your data to their cloud servers, they just go ahead and upload your data every day, which from a privacy point is crazy, so if you don't want them to have the data, the only way to do it with Resmed machines, is to disable the cellular modem which involves opening the machine up and disconnecting the connector marked J302, otherwise Resmed gets your data whether you want them to or not and they will give this data to anyone they like, whether or not you want them to.

[Crimson Nape]

Out of curiosity, how did you know your data was being uploaded? The serial number normally has to be registered with Resmed before a wireless connection can be established.

[mrmagloo]

Imho, the data received by Resmed is pretty trivial by itself, and not linked to PI unless you purposely provided that data that you are not required to do. A doctor on the other side must have the serial number to connect the individual PI he ALREADY has to gain access and link the two. Both your Doctor and your insurance company already has access to your complete HIPAA information, so who exactly are you worried about? Do keep in mind that disconnecting the modem also will prevent any firmware updates as well. Not that Resmed issues updates frequently, but I do believe there was one a year or so ago, so they do happen.

Being in the data business as an advocate for strong privacy restrictions in the marketing industry, it's pretty interesting that people will scream bloody murder about privacy, but then turn around and post their entire life story, and that of their family on social media where the vast majority of PI info is harvested outside of breaches and hacks.

Everything you touch today, your car, your tv, your credit and debit cards, and especially your cell phone, is giving almost unlimited real time intel to all sorts of data. You are being tracked virtually every second of every day, and you are worried about raw unidentified stats from your CPAP? Imho, that's the least of your worries. If you cared at all about your privacy, you would toss your cellphone in a lake and never, ever touch one again. Then disconnect every one of your devices from the internet, cut up your cards, don't leave the house, and you might slow the dissemination down to a small waterfall.

I'm not saying that being concerned about protecting PI isn't important - It is. But more, folks who do care, really should take the time to understand what is truly happening, who and what are the greatest offenders, and focus on where the real problems lay. Trust me, it's not CPAP's by a very, very wide margin.

Just my .02 fwiw.

[S. Manz]

Resmed doesn't say that your data "doesn't get uploaded anywhere in their literature so you have no reason to believe it does not.
Data gets uploaded whether you register or not (the serial number is also contained in the uploaded data). The only thing that happens when you register is that you gain access to your data on their servers ( copies of it anyway).
The fact that their cellular connection is on by default and you cant turn it off ( other than temporarily putting it in plane mode), is by itself a big red flag.
Dreamstation machines only have cellular as an option, but not Resmed.

[S. Manz]

Just because a lot of people follow others off the cliff, it doesn't mean that its ok for everyone to follow the trend:-)(and no, I don't have a social media account either and this is not my name. As far as you know, I am a talking bulldog with a bad case of apnea) :-)
There is a huge amount of medical detail contained in your CPAP data, make no mistake about how valuable that data is in the wrong hands.
Dude, its not the "doctor" having your data that I am concerned about, but rather a massive corporation that amasses your private medical data along with that of millions more, without their permission...data on practically every breath:-)
Imagine if your state were to have access to your apnea data in order for some paper pusher to decide whether you should be allowed to keep your driver's licence or 1,000 other different scenarios where your personal liberties were to be compromised because you didn't care about Resmed compiling your medical data without your specific permission.
It would have been just as easy and just as practical for resmed to equip their machines with Bluetooth so patients could download their data in safety and security and forward it to their doctors as they see fit.
Why is Resmed so keen on collecting your data ?:-)
BTW they also don't give you the "option" because Resmed knows that if people have the option, the vast majority will opt NOT to have Resmed compile their medical data.
As for "updates" Resmed will not update their firmware unless they have messed up so bad that people will be suing them and even then, they can design their machines with WIFI so you can hook it up ONLY when you choose to do so for updating purposes, so "updating is a weak case in their support here, to say the least.

Don't get me wrong, now that Phillips is down with the recall, I have chosen Resmed and their machines are pretty good too (not my favorite but still ok), however the modem got shut down before the first use.

[Crimson Nape]

By your reply, I see you don't have any evidence that it is uploaded, just speculation.  Even if the data is uploaded, unless you have registered the machine's serial number to your name, they wouldn't know whose data it is anyway.   Also, what is your fear that they could do with your data if they do upload it?  It's not like they could run to the bank and get a loan.  ...Maybe a life insurance policy?  

Another thought: Unless you have a CPAP with the newer 4G modem, you WiFi has been or will be rendered useless.

[pholynyk]

On page 9 of an AirSense 10 User Guide it says:

"Therapy data
Your AirSense 10 device records your therapy data for you and your care provider so they can view
and make changes to your therapy if required. The data is recorded and then transferred to your care
provider wirelessly or via an SD card.
Wireless
Your AirSense 10 device is equipped with cellular communication. This allows your therapy data to
be wirelessly transmitted to your care provider to enhance the quality of your treatment. The
Wireless signal strength icon {icon} displayed at the top right of your screen indicates the signal
strength.
The data is usually transmitted after therapy has stopped. In order to make sure that your data is
transferred, leave your device connected to the mains power at all times and make sure that it is not
in Airplane Mode.
Notes:
 Therapy data might not be transmitted if you use it outside of the country or region of purchase.
 Devices with cellular communication might not be available in all regions."

It doesn't ask permission, true, but you can't say it doesn't tell you where it's going.

[factor]

Did you give Google, Facebook, Cloudflare or most any other company permission?  Cloudflare's CEO is quoted as saying they just take all of the data because they can.  We dont currently have anything like the GDPR in USA.  I think California did some privacy based laws but to my knowledge currently most Americans dont think privacy is a big thing. So there is no law for them to ask you about your permission.

If you disabled the modem what makes you worry?