Apple Watch Series 12 privacy feature sparks debate among U.S. doctors
Apple’s new Apple Watch Series 12 has triggered a heated privacy debate in U.S. medical circles just days after launch. The device introduces an "Audio Intelligence" feature that can surface a text record of the previous 15 seconds of conversation through "Live Rewind," while "Siri Recap" runs in the background and turns conversations into notes without an audible or visible prompt. On Reddit’s r/medicine forum, a warning post from a family physician drew more than 200 comments in two days, with the discussion focusing less on whether the feature should exist and more on how much privacy remains inside the exam room. Participants questioned whether a device that produces text summaries without storing audio should be treated as a recording device under current law. The Register reported on Sept. 10 that roughly 11 to 12 U.S. states require all-party consent for recordings, while the rest generally require consent from only one party. Doctors, nurses, pharmacists, and patients in the thread described sharply different views, from assuming they are always being recorded to relying on hospital policy, or arguing that if physicians use AI scribe tools to document visits, patients should be able to record doctors as well.
