Wearable tech such as Google Glass, Galaxy Gear raises alarms for privacy advocates The massive amount of data these new wearable devices stand to collect, the sensitive nature of the content and the uncertainty about how the information can be used have all raised concerns that consumers are being lured into uncharted territory that will compromise their privacy. Exacerbating the problem, some privacy advocates say, are recent Food and Drug Administration guidelines on medical apps that make no mention of privacy - making it unclear who should regulate health data pulled from wearable devices. "The word "privacy" does not appear in" the FDA's rules, said Robert Gellman, a Washington-based privacy and information policy consultant. This shows lots of things fall between the cracks. The Federal Trade Commission has said it will study the growth of Internet-connected sensors, which can appear in products as varied as watches, headsets, refrigerators and medicine bottle caps, and it has set a meeting for next month. But privacy advocates are concerned the wearable-tech industry is exploding while regulators take a back seat. "The mobile device is a digital Trojan horse for privacy, since it enables marketers to know both our exact location and where we spend our time," said Jeffrey Chester, executive director of the Center for Digital Democracy. We've entered a world where a consumer is identified, analyzed, tracked and can be targeted nearly 24-7. The possibilities for wearable tech are enormous. One can now wear a powerful computer in millimeters of fabric, a weightless monitor of one's location, heartbeat, physical habits and moods. There is even a way to spy on your newborn; the Owlet smart sock allows parents to monitor their infant's temperature - and even whether the baby has rolled over - with their smartphones. Analysts have estimated that the market, which generates about $3 billion to $5 billion per year, could grow tenfold over the next three to five years as big players jump into the arena. Samsung is testing the waters with its smart watch. Google will begin selling its Glass headset next year, allowing users to snap pictures, record video and read messages on a screen hovering over one eye. Apple is widely expected to jump into the wearable market soon, analysts say. The company's new iPhone 5s already includes a movement chip that can automatically detect, for example, if a user is walking or driving when it provides map instructions. "The upside of wearables far outstrips concerns," said Morgan Reed of the Association for Competitive Technology, a trade group for app developers. "We're dealing right now with the "I don't know," but we would rather take those possibilities to ask what we can make with this technology."