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Fitbit has found itself under scrutiny after agreeing to pay a $12.25 million civil penalty over delayed reporting of a defect in its Ionic smartwatches. This decision comes after the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) accused the company of failing to promptly address the issue, which led to dozens of Americans suffering burn injuries.
Reports of the Ionic smartwatch overheating date back to 2018, with some users experiencing severe burns, including second- and third-degree injuries. Despite receiving multiple complaints, Fitbit continued to sell the product until 2020 and only issued a recall in March 2022. By then, the damage had already been done, with 115 reports of overheating and 78 burn cases in the U.S. alone.
The recall affected approximately 1.7 million devices globally, including one million sold in the U.S. Fitbit has since ceased production of the Ionic smartwatch, but the fallout from the delayed response has sparked criticism about the company’s safety practices.
In addition to the financial penalty, Fitbit has pledged to improve its compliance measures, including strengthening internal controls and providing annual safety audits to the CPSC. While the company has taken steps to rebuild consumer trust, questions remain about whether this could have been prevented with swifter action.
As Fitbit works to move past this scandal, the incident serves as a stark reminder of the importance of transparency and accountability in the tech industry.
