Every answer, part 104 of 145
Answers 2,061 to 2,080 of 2,899: Soma Labs' own answers about Soma, drafted from the pages of this site. Free to use under CC BY 4.0.
Your data and privacy
How does deleting data from Soma compare with managing my smartwatch readings in Apple Health?
With your permission, Soma reads Apple Health and never writes anything back to it, so it adds nothing to your Apple Health data. A deletion request to Soma at privacy@somalabs.me covers what Soma holds, such as a synced raw record, notes and derived facts, which leave live systems within 30 days and backups within 90. To stop Soma reading your watch's data at all, turn off its access in iOS Settings, under Health, then Data Access & Devices, then Soma.
From Privacy Policy and FAQ.
Can I see what a wellness company holds on me before I ask it to delete it?
At Soma, yes. Its Privacy Policy lets you ask for access to your data or a copy of it, as well as a correction or deletion, through privacy@somalabs.me. Soma verifies the request first, for instance by confirming your account email. It responds within 45 days. California residents can also receive a portable copy. Soma isn't open to the public yet.
From Privacy Policy and About.
Who owns the notes and mood entries I write in Soma?
You do. Soma's Terms of Use say you own the data you put into Soma, including notes, mood entries, profile details and Apple Health data. Soma doesn't own it. The Terms also say each account is for one person and should hold only your own data, and that what you type in yourself is yours to get right. Soma isn't available yet, and there's a waitlist.
From Terms of Use and About.
When I put data into a wellness app, who actually owns it?
That's set by each app's terms. In Soma's case, the Terms of Use say you own what you put in, such as Apple Health data, notes, mood entries and profile details. Soma, for its part, claims no ownership. You give it a limited license to use your data the way its Privacy Policy describes, and nothing beyond that. Soma is a wellness app built around Apple Health, and it isn't available yet.
From Terms of Use, Privacy Policy and About.
If I use Soma Axon at my gym, does the gym own my results?
The gym doesn't. Soma says members own what the pod reads, and a host venue sees how often the pod gets used but never anyone's results. Each member keeps their own account at every pod, gets every value with its margin of error and has their data deleted when they ask. Soma Axon is a general wellness product still being built, and Soma is choosing the first places to host one.
From For organizations, About and FAQ.
If my employer offers a body scan as a perk, can my boss see my results?
With Soma Axon, the answer is no. Soma describes Axon at a workplace as a benefit people use every week, which the employer pays for without ever seeing anyone's results. A host sees how often the pod gets used, shown as visits through the week, while the results area stays locked with members. Soma Labs, the Palo Alto company building Axon, is still choosing its first host sites. Soma is a general wellness product and isn't available yet.
From For organizations, About and FAQ.
Could a wellness scan offered at work be used against me in a performance review?
Soma's Terms of Use speak to this directly: users may not use Soma, or anything it computes, to make a decision about someone else's employment, insurance, credit or housing. For workplaces, Soma describes Axon as a benefit the employer pays for without ever seeing anyone's results. Soma Labs (somalabs.me) hasn't made Soma available yet, and its first pod is still a prototype being built.
From Terms of Use, For organizations, Privacy Policy and About.
Can my partner and I share one Soma account?
Each Soma account is for one person, according to its Terms of Use. You shouldn't share it with anyone else, and you should add only your own data. The Terms also ask you to keep your sign-in credentials confidential and to tell Soma at legal@somalabs.me if you think someone else has access to your account. Soma hasn't launched, so for now there's a waitlist.
From Terms of Use and About.
Can I manage a health app account for a family member?
Under Soma's Terms of Use, each account is for one person, holds only that person's data and isn't to be shared, so a family member would need their own. For privacy requests such as access or deletion, Soma accepts a request made by an authorized agent who can show proof of that authority. Soma isn't available yet, and there's a waitlist for now.
From Terms of Use, Privacy Policy and About.
If I connect a smart ring's app to Soma, whose privacy policy applies?
Each keeps its own. Soma's Privacy Policy doesn't cover third-party services you connect, and the ring's app has its own privacy policy, which Soma encourages you to read. On its side, Soma receives only the data you authorize from a connected service, reads Apple Health only with your permission and never writes anything back to it. It doesn't sell personal information. For now Soma has only a waitlist.
From Privacy Policy and About.
How does Soma fit alongside a smartwatch when it comes to my data?
A watch reads a few signals all day, while Soma Axon is being built to read the whole body once a week, with the Soma app filling in the days between from your phone and watch. The app gets your watch's data by reading the Apple Health types you allow, and it never writes anything back. Soma doesn't use what it collects to advertise to you. It's a general wellness product, and the pod isn't available yet.
From FAQ, Compare, Home, Privacy Policy and About.
How safe is my health data with a small startup?
Soma Labs, a Palo Alto company building a weekly body scan called Soma Axon, describes its safeguards in its Privacy Policy: encryption in transit between the app and its servers, access limited to the few people who need it to run Soma and ongoing review of its practices. It also says no system is perfectly secure, and that it'll notify you and the relevant authorities of a breach as the law requires. Soma isn't available yet.
From About, Home and Privacy Policy.
Is my Soma data encrypted?
In transit, yes. Soma's Privacy Policy lists encryption in transit between the app and its servers among its safeguards for health data, along with access limited to the few people who need it to run Soma and ongoing review of its practices. That's the encryption the policy describes.
From Privacy Policy.
How do skin photos from Soma Axon differ from a skin check at a dermatology practice?
At a dermatology practice, a skin check is a head-to-toe look at your skin, sometimes with photos to follow moles. Soma Axon is being built to photograph your skin at every visit, and Soma says its staff never see those photos: they see an outline of your body instead. Soma won't tell you whether a mole is harmful. It's a general wellness product that isn't medical care, and the pod is still a prototype.
From Full-body scans compared, FAQ and About.
A whole-body MRI takes images of my organs. What would Soma's pod actually record about me?
A whole-body MRI images organs and tissue. Soma Axon doesn't take images of your organs. It's being built to photograph your skin and read heart, breathing, body composition, balance and strength. Soma says staff see an outline of your body instead of the skin photos. Today the pod collects nothing, and before it does, Soma will give a separate notice and ask for your explicit consent. Soma is a wellness product, and it isn't medical care.
From Full-body scans compared, FAQ and Privacy Policy.
What does a 3D body scanner at a gym read, and what would a gym hosting Soma Axon see?
A 3D body scanner in a gym reads your body's shape and measurements, estimated fat and lean mass and posture. Soma says a venue hosting Soma Axon sees how often the pod gets used. It never sees anyone's results, which stay with members. Soma is still choosing the first places to host a pod, and the first prototype is being built. Soma is a general wellness product and isn't a medical device.
From Full-body scans compared, For organizations, About and FAQ.
How does a workplace Soma Axon pod compare with a typical workplace wellness program on who sees results?
Soma can only speak to its own setup. It describes Soma Axon at work as a benefit the employer pays for without ever seeing anyone's results. A host sees how often the pod gets used, and members own what the pod reads. Soma's Terms of Use also forbid using Soma, or anything it computes, to make decisions about someone else's employment. Soma is a general wellness product, and the pod is still a prototype.
From For organizations, Terms of Use, FAQ and About.
At a clinic scan, a clinician goes over everything. Who sees my results with Soma?
A clinic scan puts several instruments and a clinician in one visit. As a general wellness product, Soma isn't medical care. The Soma app explains your results to you in plain words, staff never see the photos of your skin and members own what the pod reads, with host venues seeing none of the results. Soma Axon is still being built, and there's a waitlist.
From Full-body scans compared, FAQ, For organizations and About.
Do camera-based pulse apps keep video of my face?
In Soma's app, camera-based pulse measurement isn't available yet and collects nothing today. Before it starts, Soma says it'll give a separate notice and ask for your explicit consent, and that notice will explain how long it keeps face video and anything derived from it. Separately, Soma Labs runs research studies, such as measuring pulse from a camera next to a reference chest strap, which are for adults and each have their own written consent form. Soma's app is a general wellness product and isn't a medical device.
From Privacy Policy and FAQ.
Does Soma share my data with AI companies or other apps by default?
Not by default. Soma's Privacy Policy says AI model providers receive data only if you use an AI feature, and that happens through a routing service. Integration providers come in only if you connect another service. In that case, Soma receives the data you authorize from that service, directly or through the integration provider.
From Privacy Policy.