Dr Google — on the way
p2pnet news | Advertising:- Americans have come one frightening step closer to having every aspect of their lives, including their most intimate medical details, fall under the venal eyes of Google and other corporate giants.
And what’s equally frightening is the fact the corporate media are reporting this as though it’s a genuine service created to help people.
“Google yesterday laid out plans for Google Health, expected to kick off this year, “to give users more control over their personal healthcare,” says the Financial Times.
However, this has absolutely nothing to do with giving users more control: it’s predicated solely on increasing Google’s access to personal and private data so they can be reused for marketing and advertising purposes.
“The plans would put Google’s database of health records at the heart of a broader health information system that draws in health insurers, doctors and others, potentially giving the internet company a central role as the health industry moves towards greater use of information technology,” says the FT blandly as though this would be a good thing.
Google has been disingenuously pretending advertising is the last thing on his mind.
However, “Google said it wouldn’t start out selling ads but wouldn’t rule it out,” says USA Today, going on:
“Gene Munster, an analyst at Piper Jaffray, firmly believes ads will happen.”
After all, “Advertisers would pay absurd amounts of money to be seen when someone wants to, say, refill a subscription online,” he says.
“This is more lucrative than commerce-related search.”
Google joins other firms vying for business in the market, including Microsoft, “which introduced its HealthVault service last year, and Revolution Health, which was started by AOL co-founder Steve Case,” says the San Francisco Chronicle, adding:
“Google says its service distinguishes itself by its ability to allow users to automatically import information from a wide variety of sources – doctors, hospitals, pharmacies, clinics and other health-related groups.
“The company announced a list of partnerships, including Longs Drug Stores Inc., Walgreen Co., Stanford University’s Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital, the American Heart Association, the American Medical Association and Quest Diagnostics Inc., a national laboratory chain.”
A, “national, officially approved, system through which ace purveyor of what’s supposed to be private data of user data gets its venal hands on sensitive patient information?” – p2pnet said when news of Google’s plan to hook up with the Cleveland Clinic were announced.
“The mind boggles.”
“Aggregated non-personal data,” said David Russell in a comment post.
“I don’t have a problem with them sharing that to be honest. Let’s say that a hypothetical person has bowel cancer. ‘Aggregated non-personal data’ would mean Google sharing the likes of X thousand people with bowel cancer are on our records – Y thousand of them were treated with drug Z with other companies. How exactly is that a privacy concern?”
Sadly, that isn’t where it would end. That’s merely where it would begin ……..
“We won’t sell or share your data without your explicit permission,” promises Google’s Marissa Mayer.
“Our privacy policy and practices have been developed in thoughtful collaboration with experts from the Google Health Advisory Council.”
The ‘Google Health Advisory Council’, eh? That’s OK, then 
Stay tuned.
Also See:
Financial Times – Google reveals plans for health database, February 29, 2008
USA Today – Prognosis is bright for Google’s health records plan, February 28, 2008
San Francisco Chronicle – Google ready to let patients keep track online, February 29, 2008
p2pnet – Google gets its hands on patient data, February 21, 2008
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February 29th, 2008 at 11:42 am
not to be a jerk or anything loving the articles today butt “goggle health”?
February 29th, 2008 at 10:34 pm
The really mind boggling part is why so many people are gullible enough to entrust their personal data, or files or whatever to some giant corporation. Recently I saw a story (I forget where) of a company offering online storage of files and a user commented that they wanted to use it to back up all their files!
I’ll never understand the desire to entrust complete strangers with things that are supposed to be private.
March 1st, 2008 at 1:09 pm
Google’s ability to crunch massive amount of data is where they should be working. Health informatics, lean hospitals, efficiency and their work on genetics research. Storing my private info (with only me to access it) is not what the company is all about and it scare me to think who may have access to my info across borders. http://www.waittimes.blogspot.com
March 1st, 2008 at 1:42 pm
Google has the ability to store huge amounts of data especially medical data of people all over the country, but i don’t think so that Google is secure enough to keep the data on their servers.